SINS  ABSOLVED 


A    ROMAN C 


./y:^. 


<^?t>c 


/i-iK 


Digitized  by  tlie  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2010  witli  funding  from 

University  of  Nortli  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/sinsabsolvedromaOOgorr 


SINS  ABSOLVED; 


A  Romance. 


War,  Reli™n  and  Love. 


BY 

DR.  J.  R.  GORRELL. 


DES  MOINES: 

The  Kenyon  Printing  &  Meg.  Co. 

1895. 


DEDICATION: 

To  the  remaining  soldiers  of  lotoa,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and 

Minnesota,  who  are  familiar  u'ith  many  of  the 

facts  in   ''Sins  Absolved,''  this  book  is 

respectfully  dedica ted. 


Newton,  Iowa,  December  1.  1895. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Chapter  I. —  The  Fires  Kindled 9 

Chapter  II.—  Dick  Dale  ^ 20 

Chapter  III.—  Hugging  a  Delusion 40 

Chapter  IV.—  General    Wallace    and  the 

Chaplain 53 

Chapter  V.—  Happy  in  the  Midst  of  Sorrow.    81 

Chapter  VI.—  Unwritten  History 98 

Chapter  VII.—  Hell  Ill 

Chapter  VIII. —  Wallace's  Lecture  on  His 

Travels  in  the  East 142 

Chapter  IX.—  No  Idle  Phantom 173 

Chapter  X. —  From  Columbia  to  Nashville  . .  187 

Chapter  XI.—  That  Chaplain  Again 205 

Chapter  XII. — "  Avenge  the  Death  of  Wal- 
lace " 231 

Chapter  XIII. —  A  Hallowed  Reality 253 

Chapter  XIV.—  The  Facts  in  the  Case 263 


SINS    ABSOLVED. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    FIllES    KINDLED. 

"Twelve  o'clock!  Why,  Agnes,  I 
did  not  know  it  Avas  so  late  :  I  think  an 
apology  is  due  you  for  overstepping  the 
bounds  of  propriety,  as  I  have  done  to- 
night. Give  me  your  hand  in  token 
that  my  offense  shall  not  be  remem- 
bered against  me." 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  she  said,  giving  him 
her  hand,  "I  am  the  most  forgiving'  of 
mortals,  and  I  solemnly  pronounce  your 
'  sin  absolved.'  "  Then,  with  an  expres- 
sion of  deep  tenderness  in  her  soft  gray 
eyes,  in  lower  tones  continued  :  "  Don- 
ald, I  trust  you  will  never  again  think 
of  apologizing  for  staying  too  long  with 
me.  I  have  been  happy  to-night ;  I  am 
always  happy  when  you  are  with  me." 


I o  .S rXS  A BS(tL\ 'ED . 

The  unexpected  reply  thrilled  the 
soul  of  Donald  Wallace  like  an  electric 
shock,  and  for  the  first  time  in  his  life 
he  felt  the  fervent  rays  of  the  dawn  of 
an  unknown  emotion,  Xot  a  word  w^as 
spoken  of  love  :  a  love  that  was  to 
hrino'  to  both  so  much  sorrow  and  so 
much  happiness.  He  merely  said, 
"Agnes,  I  thank  you.     Good-night." 

Donald  Wallace  and  Agnes  ]\Iurray 
were  both  of  Scottish  ancestry.  Their 
parents,  in  whose  veins  flowed  the  blood 
of  some  of  Scotland's  bravest  and 
noblest  men,  came  from  the  Highlands 
of  that  country  to  this  at  an  early  date. 
Having  been  friends  and  neighbors  in 
their  native  land,  they  bought  residences 
adjoining  each  other  in  a  flourishing 
Puritan  village  in  Massachusetts. 

Donald  and  Agnes  Avere  their  only 
children,  and,  being  possessed  of  ample 
wealth,  no  expense  was  spared  in  their 
culture.  Private  teachers,  the  best  that 
money  could  procure,  gave  them  instruc- 


WAR,  RKLIGIoy  AAD  LOYK.  I  I 

tions  together  at  Agnes'  home.  They 
were,  therefore,  playmates  and  school- 
mates, but  appeared  more  like  brother 
and  sister  than  members  of  different 
families.  Donald  was  two  years  older 
than  Agnes,  and  was  at  all  times  her 
superior  in  scholarship.  He  graduated 
at  Harvard  College  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen, with  the  highest  honors.  After 
his  graduation  he  spent  four  years  in 
the  best  colleges  in  Europe.  He  en- 
joyed the  personal  acquaintance  of  Max 
MuUer,  Herbert  Spenser,  and  the  vener- 
able Humboldt.  After  the  completion  of 
his  college  course  in  Europe,  he  spent 
two  years  traveling  in  the  Orient,  where 
he  became  familiar  with  the  languages, 
the  customs,  the  legends  and  the  theo- 
logical learning  of  Budha,  Brahma,  and 
Confucius. 

In  personal  appearance,  on  his  return 
to  his  native  land,  which  occurred  on 
the  first  day  of  February,  1861,  he  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  an  athlete  and 


12  N/.VN  .■iiisi}[,rKri. 

scholar.  lie  stood  six  feet  in  his  stock- 
ings, was  broad  shonldered  and  full 
chested  :  his  massive  head  and  his  hu'ge. 
blue  eyes  were  not  forgotten  after  hav- 
ing been  seen.  He  was  reserved  and 
refined  in  his  demeanor.  The  Scotch 
strength  of  cliaracter  was  a[)parent  in 
every  word  and  action. 

Agnes  Murray  was  at  this  time  a  trille 
above  medium  size,  with  a  physique  as 
perfect  as  that  of  Yen  us.  Her  Grecian 
face  combined  sweetness  and  true  wo- 
manly dignity.  Her  native  modesty, 
superadded  to  the  highest  culture  attain- 
able in  the  institutions  of  learning  that 
admitted  women,  and  two  years  of  in- 
struction in  music  by  the  best  teachers 
in  Italy,  gave  to  her  a  charming  person- 
ality, and  a  womanly  grace  not  often 
possessed  by  anyone,  at  that  time. 

It  was  Donald's  intention,  after  a  few 
months'  rest,  to  enter  the  legal  profes- 
sion. During  the  two  months  after  his 
return    from     Europe    he    spent    many 


WAR.  RELlaloy  AXD  LOVE.  13 

evenings  in  Agnes'  company  at  her 
father's  home.  It  was  on  the  evening 
of  April  11,  1861,  that  for  some  reason, 
unknown  to  himself,  he  had  tarried 
longer  than  usual,  which  necessitated 
the  apology  at  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter. 

On  the  day  of  the  12th  the  thrilling- 
news  flashed  over  the  wires  that  Fort 
Sumter  had  been  fired  on.  The  whole 
neighborhood  was  aroused;  no  subject 
was  mentioned  but  war ;  even  on  that 
day  there  were  trembling  lips  and  tear- 
bedimmed  eyes  ;  enlistment  was  on  every 
hand  the  subject  under  consideration. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  Donald  rode 
rapidly  to  the  Murray  mansion,  and  was 
met  at  the  gate  by  Agnes.  As  he  dis- 
mounted he  gave  her  his  hand,  to  which 
she  clung  as  she  had  never  done  before. 
"  Agnes,"  he  said,  "  as  soon  as  I  heard 
Fort  Sumter  had  been  fired  on,  and  I 
had  determined  to  raise  a  company  and 
enter  the  service,  something  said  to  me. 


I/}.  SZ.TS  ABSOLVED. 

'  Go  and  see  Agnes,'  and  I  am  here.  I 
suppose  I  am  here  to  have  you  urge  me 
to  raise  a  company  quickly,  enter  the 
service,  and  if  need  be,  give  my  life  a 
willing  sacrifice  to  my  country." 

She  still  held  his  hand,  and  Avith  a 
quiver  of  her  lips  which  she  could  not 
conceal,  said :  "  I  can't  urge  you.  I 
know  you  will  do  your  duty,  and  what- 
ever that  may  be,  I  shall  always  feel  a 
deep  interest  in  your  welfare." 

They  lingered  for  an  hour  at  the  gate, 
and  then  walked  slowly  and  thought- 
fully to  the  house. 

[le  said,  when  taking  Mi*.  Murray's 
hand,  '"I  have  found  it  somewhat  diffi- 
cult to  make  up  my  mind,  but  I  have 
reached  a  conclusion  and  shall  act  at 
once.  I  shall  call  a  meeting  at  the 
court  house  to-morrow  night  and  ask 
for  volunteers.  Any  aid  you  can  give 
me  in  publishing  a  notice  of  the  meet- 
ing will  be  appreciated.  I  am  now 
ready  to  say  good-bye." 


iVAR,  TtELIOKiX  AXD   fjni-:.  15 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murray  "'ave  him  an 
affectionate  farewell  without  emotion, 
but  Agnes'  hand  trembled  and  her  eyes 
filled  with  tears  as  she  said,  "  May 
Heayen  bless  and  protect  you." 

He  hurried  to  the  gate,  mounted  his 
horse  and  rode  awa3\ 

The  meeting  at  the  court  house  was 
more  than  a  success.  The  fires  of  pa- 
triotism were  already  burning  in  eyery 
home  and  the  whole  people  were 
aroused.  The  court  house  was  filled  to 
its  maximum  capacity.  Donald  spoke 
for  an  hour,  surprising  all  with  his  deep 
earnestness,  his  patriotism,  and  his 
thrilling  eloquence.  He  began  calmly, 
in  a  tone  that  was  hardly  aboye  a  whisper, 
but  as  he  proceeded  the  whole  man  was 
gradually  absorbed  and  transfigured,  as 
in  a  fountain  of  fire,  which  then  poured 
forth  in  one  tumultuous  and  oyer  whelm- 
ing torrent  of  melody,  the  splendor  of 
appeal,  of  pathos,  and  inyectiye,  and  sar- 
casm, and  beauty,  till  those  present  lost 


1 6  N/XN  .\iis(i!.\'h:i). 

consciousness  of  self,  and  were  borne 
away  as  on  a  ''golden  river  flowing  to  the 
lands  of  dreams."  I  lis  eloquence  had 
in  it  the  allluent  potentiality  of  the  ris- 
ing- sun  ;  of  the  lonely  mountain  ;  of  the 
lono"  successive  surii'es  of  the  resound- 
ing  sea.  His  periods  were  as  lucid  as 
the  light ;  his  logic  was  irresistible ; 
"his  words  were  crystal  clear;'-  his 
magnificent  person  towered  in  dignity, 
and  seemed  colossal  in  its  imperial 
grandeur;  his  voice  gi-ew  in  volume  as 
he  became  more  aroused,  and  his  lan- 
guage glowing  with  the  fire  of  convic- 
tion, rose  and  swelled,  and  broke  like 
the  great  ocean  wave  that  shakes  the 
rock-bound  shore.  His  speech  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  reason,  and  not  to  the 
imagination,  but  you  seemed  to  feel  the 
rush  of  the  tempest,  and  to  hear  the 
crash  of  bi'eakers  and  the  howling  of 
fi-antic  gales  and  sobbing  wail  of  home- 
less winds  ''  in  the  bleak  and  haunted 
regions    of    perpetual    night/'     Several 


^VAU.  RELKUny  AXD  LDVH.  17 

time^  he  brought  the  entire  audience 
to  their  feet,  and  when  he  reached 
the  climax  —  the  duty  of  the  American 
citizen  in  the  hour  of  his  country's 
peril  —  the  wildest  excitement  prevailed. 
At  the  close  of  his  address  volunteers 
were  called  for,  and  Donald's  name 
headed  the  list.  Within  thirty  minutes  the 
necessary  number  of  names  were  added 
to  fill  the  company,  and  Donald  Wallace 
was  elected  captain  by  acclamation.  A 
telegram  was  sent  to  the  governor  tender- 
ing him  the  company,  and  his  acceptance 
was  received  before  the  expiration  of  an 
hour.  A  second  telegram  from  the 
governor  to  Captain  Wallace,  furnishing 
transportation  for^  his  company,  and 
directing  him  to  report  at  rendezvous 
with  his  company  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  was  received  in  a  few  moments 
after  the  first.  Captain  Wallace  directed 
all  those  who  had  enlisted  to  meet  him 
at  the  depot  the  next  morning  at  11 
o'clock,  as  the  train  left  at  11  :  30. 


SLVS  ABSOLVED. 


The  morning  came,  and  with  it  a  large 
and  entluisiastic  crowd  of  people.  Ev- 
erybody wanted  to  see  the  first  com- 
pany leave  for  the  seat  of  war.  The  old 
and  the  young,  the  infirm  and  the 
strong,  men,  women  and  children,  many 
of  them  having  arrived  before  sunrise. 

And  such  scenes  ;  such  joys  and  sor- 
rows ;  such  mingled  emotions  of  hope 
and  fear,  of  partings  and  of  blessings. 
Aged  parents  parting  with  only  sons, 
mothei's'  last  farewells,  and  the  deep 
suppressed  sob  of  lovers,  gave  emotions 
before  unknown  to  me,  and  reminded  me 
of  the  final  judgment,  when  loved  ones 
are  to  be  separated  forever,  if  orthodoxy 
proves  to  be  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

In  less  than  ten  days  the  requisite 
number  of  companies  had  arrived  at  the 
regimental  rendezvous.  The  regiment 
was  organized  and  Capt.  Donald  Wal- 
lace of  Company  A  was  elected  major. 
In  a  few  days  after  the  regimental 
organization  was  completed,  it  was  or- 


WAR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  I9 

dered  to  the  front,  and  box-cars  trans- 
ported the  precious  freight.  Less  than 
thirty-three  per  cent  ever  returned. 
Sixty  per  cent  of  as  noble  young  men 
as  ever  died  on  the  battle-field  were 
bnried  among  strangers. 

The  life  of  the  soldier  now  begins  in 
earnest.  The  regiment  goes  into  camp 
within  twenty  miles  of  a  Confederate 
force  of  superior  number. 

While  in  this  camp  and  before  they 
had  been  in  an  engag-ement  the  follow- 
ing letter  came  to  Major  Wallace  : 

Major  Wallace  :         ^^^^^'  ^^^^^^  ^^P^''^  --  ^^^l. 

Mij  Dciir  Friend, —  You  will  probably  be  surprised 
to  receive  a  letter  from  me,  as  you  did  not  ask  me  to 
write  to  you.  1  bave  determined  to  spend  a  sbort 
time  witb  my  relatives  in  Scotland.  Wby  I  go  I  will 
explain  to  you  if  we  ever  meet  again.  I  leave  New 
York  on  the  earliest  steamer  bound  for  London.  I 
will  write  to  you  again  as  soon  as  I  reacli  my  desti- 
nation, and  give  you  my  address.  I  liave  no  right  to 
ask  you  to  write  to  me,  but  as  1  once  felt  justified  in 
saying  to  you,  "  I  shall  always  feel  a  deep  interest  in 
your  welfare."' it  appears  tome  not  improper  to  let 
j'ou  know  just  what  I  said,  and  tliat  I  meant  it  then, 
and  I  mean  it  now.  Your  friend, 

Agnes  Murray. 


CilAPTEK  II. 

DICJv    DALE. 

The  routine  duties  of  camp  life  had 
continued  less  than  ten  days.  The  col- 
onel, lieutenant-colonel,  the  major  and 
the  adjutant  were  at  dinner,  when  the 
colonel  remarked  : 

"  I  saw  in  a  i^ew  Yoi-k  pai)er  this  morn- 
ing that  a  large  ocean  steamer  had  been 
wrecked  in  a  storm  at  sea  and  all  on  board 
were  lost  except  three  persons.  A  young- 
fearless  fellow  whose  name  was  Dick 
Dale  was  one  of  the  survivors.  I  remem- 
ber his  name  for  the  reason  that  I  knew 
his  father.  Dick,  the  captain,  and  the 
first  mate  only  were  saved.  They  were 
the  last  to  leave  the  vessel  in  a  lifeboat, 
and  they  alone  wei-e  picked  up.  Dick, 
like  his  father,  was  a  man  of  remarkable 
coolness  in  danger,  and  personal  courage 
far  up  toward  the  border  line  of  reckless- 


•    WAR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  21 

iiess,  and  he  behaved  like  an  old  seaman. 
It  became  apparent  to  the  crew  in  a  few 
moments  after  the  storm  of  great  violence 
strnck  her  that  she  could  not  survive, 
and  the  passengers  became  wild  with 
fear,  and  in  defiance  of  the  orders  of  the 
captain  and  the  earnest  protestations  of 
Dick  Dale  they  launched  the  lifeboats 
and  hurried  into  them,  in  a  sea  in  which  no 
lifeboat  could  live.  By  the  way.  Major,  a 
favorite  among  the  passengers,  described 
as  a  sweet-faced,  sad-hearted  girl,  though 
a  special  effort  was  made  to  save  her,  was 
lost.  Her  name  was  Agnes  Murray,  and 
her  home  was  where  you  enlisted  from. 
I  suppose  you  w^ere  not  acquainted  with 
her  ?  " 

The  major  stared  wildly  at  the  colonel, 
his  face  grew  deadly  pale  and  his  voice 
trembled  as  he  said,  ''  Have  you  the 
paper  ?  " 

It  was  apparent  to  the  mess  that  some 
awful  emotion  stirred  his  soul.  The 
colonel  rose  in  dignified  silence,  brought 


22  S7iVS  ABSOLVED. 

the  paper  and  handed  it  to  liini.  The 
major  left  the  table  and  went  to  his  tent. 
The  account  of  the  storm  and  its 
results  were  as  follows  :  "  (ireat  storm  at 
sea  ;  the  steam ei"  L — .  believed  to  be  one 
of  the  safest  ocean  vessels,  is  lost  and  all 
on  board  lost,  except  three  persons.  A 
gale  of  great  fury  struck  her  at  7  :30  a.  31. ; 
man_y  of  the  passengers  were  in  bed  ; 
the  signal  of  danger  was  given  and  the 
wildest  excitement  ])revailed.  The  life- 
l^oats  wei'e  torn  from  their  places, 
launched  and  filled  with  excited  pas- 
sengers, only  to  be  swallowed  uj)  by  an 
angry  sea.  The  boats  were  launched  in 
defiance  of  the  captain's  orders,  whose 
strong,  firm  voice  rose  above  the  roar  of 
the  storm,  •  Xo  boat  can  live  in  such  a 
sea.'  One  of  the  passengers,  whose 
name  was  Dick  Dale  displayed  the  cour- 
age of  a  true  hero  ;  he  declined  to  go 
into  the  lifeboat  while  there  were  others 
on  board  who  were  more  anxious  to  live 
than  he  was.     He  walked  quietly  among 


WAR.  RELKUdX  AXD  LOVE.  23 

the  passengers  and  urged  them  to  be 
cahn,  with  a  coohiess  that  surprised  even 
the  ca])tain.  The  only  female  passenger 
who  exhibited  neither  fear  or  excitement, 
was  Miss  Agnes  Murray.  Twice  before 
she  consented  to  go  into  the  lifeboat  she 
had  declined,  saying,  'It's  no  matter 
about  me.'  When  all  had  left  the  ves- 
sel and  the  relentless  billows  of  a  wild  and 
boisterous  ocean  had  swallowed  them,  the 
captain,  the  first  mate,  and  Dick  Dale 
stepped  into  the  only  remaining  and  least 
seaworthy  lifeboat,  just  as  the  vessel 
sunk.  They  were  picked  up  six  hours 
later  by  a  vessel  bound  for  ]N"ew  York.'' 
What  the  major's  emotions  were  as  he 
read  the  account  no  one  will  ever  know. 
An  hour  later  he  sent  a  note  to  the  colonel, 
asking  to  be  excused  from  duty  for  two 
days.  He  did  not  go  to  supper  that 
evening,  nor  to  breakfast  or  dinner  the 
next  day.  At  2  o'clock  the  colonel  in 
person  went  hurriedly  to  the  major's 
tent,  and  said,  "Scouts  have  just  come 


24  •'^'^-'^'•'^'  ABSdLVED. 

ill  and  tliey  have  informed  me  that 
riumphrey  Marshall  is  coming  down 
?*[iddle  Creek  Vvith  a  force  of  twice  our 
number,  and  we  shall  have  to  fight  within 
an  liour  or  retreat,  and  I  came  to  ask  you 
if  you  wished  to  be  excused  from  duty." 

Wallace  sprang  to  his  feet  with  the 
])ound  of  an  athlete  and  exclaimed,  "Ux- 
(■n.-^ed  from  dntij!  No.  Colonel,  I  shall 
be  ready  for  business  in  three  minutes." 

The  whole  man  was  in  an  instant  trans- 
formed from  a  dejected,  heart-broken 
fellow  to  a  man  of  the  most  soldierly 
bearing  I  ever  saw. 

"Colonel."  said  Major  Wallace,  ''let 
us  meet  him,  and  if  it  is  to  our  advan- 
tage, let  us  choose  our  battle-field,  as 
W^ellington  did  at  W^aterloo." 

The  long  roll  was  sounded  and  in  ten 
minutes  the  regiment  was  marching  up 
Middle  Creek  to  meet  the  enemy.  It  is 
probably  not  an  exaggeration  to  say, 
that  no  ofhcer  during  the  w^ar  presented 
a  finer  or  more  soldierly  appearance  than 


iVAli.  RKLIGTOX  AXI)  LOVE.  25 

did  Major  Wallace  that  day.  His  mas- 
sive and  finely  proportioned  physique, 
his  faultless  dress,  and  his  magnificent 
plume  made  him  a  conspicuous  mark. 
He  was  happy  almost  to  hilarity. 

They  had  marched  less  than  half  an 
hour  until  Confederate  cavalry  was  in 
their  front.  Tlie  regiment  Avas  halted 
for  a  few  minutes  and  a  council  of  war 
held  between  the  colonel,  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  the  major. 

The  major  said,  "Colonel,  I  am  fami- 
liar with  this  whole  neighborhood.  I 
can  take  300  men,  go  up  this  ravine, 
cross  that  low  spur  of  the  mountain,  and 
in  thirty  minutes  can  have  my  men  par- 
tially concealed,  and  be  in  position  to 
deal  a  destructive  blow  when  they  least 
expect  it.  I  hope  you  will  excuse  me 
for  this  suggestion,  and  I  am  at  your 
service.'' 

The  colonel  took  his  hand  and  said, 
•'Major,  I  thank  you.  Make  your  selec- 
tion and  proceed  at  once."' 

3 


26  .Sf.VN  AliSliI.VKD. 

AVitliin  five  minutes  the  major  and  300 
picked  men   disap])eared  \\\)  the  ravine. 

•"The  point  at  which  I  hope  to  make 
an  attack,"  said  AVallace,  before  leaving, 
'•  is  less  than  half  a  mile  distant,  and  I 
knoAv  at  the  first  gnn  you  will  come  to 
my  assistance." 

The  colonel  made  his  iirst  speech  to 
the  remaining"  TOO;  he  explained  the 
danger  in  which  their  comrades  were 
})laced,  and  the  necessity  for  prompt 
action  at  the  signal  of  firing  in  their 
front.  "  This  will  l>e  your  first  engage- 
ment, but  I  expect  from  you  the  coolness 
of  veterans.  Every  man  can  cover  him- 
self with  glor}'  or  disgrace.  Less  than 
heroic  duty  on  our  part  will  result  in  the 
same  fate  for  the  gallant  Wallace  and 
his  noble  three  hundred,  as  came  to 
Leonides  at  the  pass  of  Thermopyhe,  and 
they  will  go  down  as  did  the  Spartans.'" 

The  speech  was  scarcely  ended  until 
the  roll  of  musketry  was  heard  and 
quickly  followed  by  the   thunder   of  a 


^VAR.  RELIGION  AXD  LOVE.  27 

battery.  The  major  had  not  succeeded 
in  getting  his  men  in  just  the  position  he 
desired.  As  he  readied  the  summit  of 
the  low  range  of  mountains  his  keen  eye 
observed  a  force  of  more  than  twice  his 
number  less  than  400  yards  distant 
already  in  line  of  l)attle  supported  by  a 
battery  of  six  guns,  and  the  advancing 
Confederate  skirmish  line  opened  fire  at 
once.  Every  man  grasped  the  situation. 
The  battery  opened  with  grape  and  can- 
ister. The  major  saw  the  moment  was 
fearfully  critical,  and  with  his  sword 
flashing  in  the  sunlight,  his  eye  blazing 
like  that  of  IN^apoleon's  at  Austerlitz,  he 
dashed  the  whole  length  of  the  line  in  an 
instant  and  shouted  in  a  voice  that 
echoed  from  hill-top  to  hill-top  and 
sounded  like  distant  thunder,  "  That 
hattery  must  he  taken.  Courage,  hoys, 
charge! '' 

And  such  a  charge  ;  with  the  fearless- 
ness of  Roman  soldiers  they  rushed  to 
victory  or  death  ;  such  relentless  fury  ; 


NLVS  AIiS(iLVi:i>. 


tlie  coiirag'c  ot'de^^pair  seized  exevy  man  ; 
the  line  was  rapidly  decimated  by  volley 
after  \olley  of  grape  and  canister  at 
short  range ;  the  line  for  an  instant 
"wavers;  the  major  re-forms  them  in  an 
instant;  his  horse  is  shot  under  him; 
his  orderly  falls  dead  l)y  his  side  ;  the 
color-sergeant  is  mortally  wounded  :  still 
undaunted  he  bade  them  charge  ;  fear 
was  banished,  pity  w^as  forgotten  ;  like  a 
cyclone  they  swept  forward,  leaving 
death  and  destruction  in  their  track,  ^o 
human  beings  could  stand  such  a  charge  ; 
the  gunners  were  killed  at  their  posts  ; 
the  infantry  fled  ;  the  victory  was  com- 
plete,—  but  at  what  a  cost.  Of  the  oOO 
who  entered  the  engagement  one-third 
were  gone.  The  colonel  and  the  700 
made  every  efl:ort  in  their  power  to  reach 
the  battle-field,  Init  they  were  too  late. 
It  Avas  fought  and  won  before  they 
arrived. 

The  next  morning  after  the  battle  a 
young  man  came  into  camp  and  asked 


WAR.  HELIGIny  AXD  IJJVE.  29 

for  Major  Wallace.  He  was  directed  to 
the  major's  tent. 

The  major  and  the  colonel  were  sitting 
in  front  talking  of  their  victory  and  of 
the  casualties  of  the  day  before. 

The  young  man  saluted  them  and  said. 
"I  am  Dick  Dale  ;  I  am -one  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  ill-fated  steamer  L — ,  and  I 
would  like  to  join  your  regiment  if  you 
have  a  place  for  me.'' 

The  colonel  took  his  hand  and  said, 
"  My  dear  fellow  if  you  have  the  coolness 
and  courage  of  your  father  we  need  you, 
we  made  a  place  for  you  yesterday  ;  " 
and  he  added  sorrowfully  as  he  walked 
away,  ''You  need  an  orderly,  Major,  as 
yours  was  killed  ;  better  give  the  boy  a 
trial." 

The  major  and  Dick  went  into  the 
tent  and  were  seated.  A  painful  silence 
followed,  neither  one  knowing  how  to 
begin  a  conversation  that  both  expected 
would  bring  heart-sobs  to  one  and  per- 
haps to  both. 


30  'V/TS  ABS(ir.vt-:r>. 

At  last  before  a  word  was  spoken  Dick 
took  from  his  ])ocket  a  locket  and  handed 
it  to  the  niajor,  saying.  "Miss  Agnes 
Murray  gave  it  to  me  and  re(jnested  that 
if  she  was  lost  to  give  it  to  yon.  'and 
yon  may  say  to  him,"  she  said,  'my  last 
thoughts  were  of  him.  If  I  survive 
return  it  to  me.'  '' 

The  major  opened  it  with  trembling 
hands  pressed  it  to  his  lips  and  sobbed 
aloud  as  if  his  heart  would  break.  "  O, 
Agnes  I  If  I  had  told  you  what  you 
were  to  me  you  would  not  have  gone.'" 

After  a  long  silence,  and  he  had  some- 
what regained  his  composure,  he  said, 
••  Was  she  afraid  to  die  ?  " 

*'  I  saw  no  evidence  of  fear.  She  and 
I  were  together  on  the  deck  when  the 
storm  struck  us.  We  were  discussing 
the  threatening  appearance  ;  the  thick 
black  clouds,  vivid  lightning  and  terrific 
thunder  and  the  apparent  anxiety  of  the 
sailors  gave  us  apprehensions  of  dan- 
ger.    Suddenly  the  fury  of  a  storm  at 


II'.IK.  HKLKiloy  .l.\D   LilVH.  31 

sea  Avas  upon  us.  The  engine  was  dis- 
abled and  the  wheels  stopped,  and  the 
great  ocean  steamer  seemed  to  drop  a 
hundred  feet  into  a  trough,  the  waves  rose 
far  above  us  on  either  side  and  we  were 
helpless  in  midocean.  The  vessel  was 
swept  with  waves  and  we  Avould  probably 
have  been  carried  overboard,  but  for  our 
firm  hold  on  the  railing.  It  was  then 
she  took  the  locket  from  her  neck  and 
gave  it  to  me  with  the  request  already 
referred  to.  She  also  said  with  absolute 
indifierence,  as  far  as  I  could  see.  'As 
to  danger,  you  are  an  expert  swimmer 
and  your  apparel  being  less  cumbrous 
than  mine  you  will  probably  be  saved 
and  I  lost.'  At  that  time  the  wildest 
excitement  prevailed,  and  consternation 
seemed  to  be  in  every  heart.  The  life- 
boats were  torn  from  their  fastenings 
and  launched  wholly  without  judgment 
and  in  defiance  to  the  orders  of  the  cap- 
tain. The  captain  said  she  left  the 
steamer  in  the  third  lifeboat  before  the 


■/.Y.S  AIiS(il.Vi:D. 


one  ill  which  I  left.  She  was  one  of 
twelve,  he  said,  and  before  their  boat  was 
ten  feet  away  it  ea})sized  and  the  ang'ehs 
came  and  took  her.  She  was  not  afraid 
to  die,  and  I  think  she  did  not  care  to 
live." 

Dick  rose  and  left  the  tenl.  The 
major  was  in  his  place  on  di'ess  parade 
that  evening,  as  il'  no  forest  fire  had  so 
lately  swept  his  soul,  leaving  desolation 
in  its  track. 

The  next  morning  when  the  orderly 
came  for  instrnctions.  the  major  said, 
''Dick,  what  is  the  matter,  you  are  not 
yourself  this  morning  ? '' 

'•  jSTo.  major,  I  am  not  :  I  cried  all  last 
night.  I  fear  I  am  not  doing  my  duty. 
I  have  a  secret  which  would  prohnibly 
make  you  more  ha])py  than  you  are,  but 
if  I  tell  you,  it  will  certainly  make  me 
miserable  ;  what  shall  I  do  ?  "* 

"Don't  tell  me  unless  lam  mortally 
wounded.  I  will  not  commit  suicide  by 
purposely  pntting  myself  in  danger,  but 


I  will  not  step  out  of  the  way  of  a  bullet 
to  save  my  life.  I  will  be  killed  within 
a  year  and  then  I  will  meet  Agnes  in 
heaven,  and  there  will  be  no  more  heart- 
aches for  either  of  us.  Don't  cry  any 
more,  Dick,  it's  nnsoldierly,-'  and  the 
tears  came  into  his  own  eyes. 

"  Good-morning,  Major,*"  called  the 
chaplain  from  the  door  of  the  tent. 

''  Come  in.  Chaplain.'' 

"  ]^o,  thank  you ;  J  merely  called  to 
ask  you  to  announce  on  dress  parade 
this  evening  that  there  will  be  preach- 
ing at  11  o'clock  next  Sunday  from  the 
colonel's  tent." 

''All  right.  Chaplain,  I  will  do  so  with 
pleasure." 

At  the  appointed  time,  the  chaplain 
preached  a  typical  orthodox  sermon  from 
the  text :  ''  The  potter  hath  power  over 
clay  to  make  one  vessel  unto  honor  and 
another  unto  dishonor,"  interspersed 
with  lengthy  quotations  from  the  Pres- 
bj^terian   confession   of    faith,   teaching 


34  •'^'?-V>-'  -\ns<ii.\-i:ri. 

that  a  largM,-  per  cent  of"  the  huniaii  fam- 
ily are  doomed  to  an  everhisting  hell, 
without  any  reference  to  what  their  lives 
had  been.  ])ut  ])ecaiise  of  a  decree  that 
was  purely  arbitrary,  and  that  a  small 
number  were  "elected"  to  the  glories 
of  heaven  without  reference  to  "faith 
or  the  good  works  on  the  part  of 
the  creature,"  all  for  the  gloiw  of  His 
justice  and  His  mercy.  He  cited  as 
evidence  of  the  wrath  of  God  the  con- 
fusion of  tongues  at  the  tower  of  Babel, 
Sodom  and  (iomorrah  aiul  the  salted 
fate  of  Lot's  wife  ;  the  standing  still-  of 
the  sun  for  Joshua,  and  the  cause  of  the 
miraculous  interfei-ence  of  the  laws  of 
nature  ;  the  fall  of  man  and  the  expul- 
sion from  the  garden  of  Eden,  and 
(iod's  treatment  of  Job,  all  of  which 
had  a  literal  signification.  Linked  unto 
it  was  the  sad  hope  that  the  brave  com- 
rades who  had  fallen  a  few  days  ago  in 
defense  of  their  flag,  their  countr}^  and 
their    (rod,     had    been    "elected,"    and 


WAn.  RKLIGIOX  AND  iJtVE. 


35 


closed  with  the  astounding  statement, 
that  duty  done  was  no  guarantee  of  the 
necessary,  fitness  for  the  celestial  sphere, 
and  that  the  statement  in  the  Bible, 
"Well  done,  good  and  faithful  ser- 
vants,"" must  be  restricted  in  its  signifi- 
cation ;  that  it  could  only  refer  to  those 
having  been  elected  before  the  founda- 
tions of  the  world  were  laid. 

The  next  day  the  chaplain  called  on 
the  major  and  said,  '•  I  observed  that 
you  paid  close  attention  to  the  sermon 
yesterday.  Are  you  a  church  mem- 
ber ?  " 

"  l^o,  chaplain,  I  am  not,  but  I  had  a 
Christian  mother ;  she  was  the  noblest 
Unitarian  I  ever  knew."" 

''I  deeply  regret.  Major,"  said  the 
chaplain,  "  that  your  mind  was  so  early 
poisoned  with  the  inconsistency  of  het- 
erodoxy. As  good  a  man  as  you  are 
ought  to  be  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  The  Unitarian  church 
denies  the  essential   Godship  of  Jesus 


36  •s^.vs  jBsnLvi-:r>. 

and  tlie  literal  ti'an^lation  of  many  other 
passages  in  the  Bible  :  its  inliuence  is, 
therefore,  in  favor  of  irreligion/' 

"Mr.  C'liaplain,  your  })remises  ap])ear 
to  me  defective,  your  reasoning  falla- 
cious and  your  conclusions  eri'oneous. 
The  human  mind  is  naturally  religious, 
and  only  rebels  against  that  which  a])- 
pears  unreasonal)le.  Thinkers  draw  the 
line  between  those  higher  facts  of  con- 
sciousness, which  ti'anscend  any  exer- 
cise of  the  faculties  we  now  possess, 
and  that  are  likely  ever  to  lie  concealed 
in  the  unexplored  labyrinthian  jungles 
of  the  human  soul,  and  of  the  alleged 
facts  that  are  beginnino-  to  be  reco«'- 
nized  to  be  in  defiance  of  human  reason. 
You  seem  to  foi-get  that  the  thinking 
leaders  in  theology  have  begun  to  accept 
the  conclusions  of  science,  and  have 
given  a  liberal  and  i-ationalistic  explana- 
tion to  the  myth  and  legend  of  many 
statements  in  the  Bilde.  Xow,  has  any 
harm  been  done  to  the  Bible  ?     On  the 


WAR,  RELKilOX  Ayi)  LdVK.  37 

contrary,  it  has  been  made  all  the  more 
precious  to  us  by  these  new  divine  rev- 
elations through  science.  From  these 
myths  and  legends,  caught  from  earlier 
civilization,  we  see  an  evolution  of  the 
most  important  moral  and  religious  truths 
for  our  race.  Keligion  has  thus  been  lib- 
erated from  the  thralldom  of  theories 
which  thinking  men  saw  could  no  longer 
be  maintained.  Where  is  the  irreligion 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the 
accounts  of  creation,  and  of  many  other 
earlier  events  in  the  sacred  books,  were 
remembrances  of  lore  obtained  from  the 
Chaldeans  ?  The  beautiful  story  of 
Joseph  is  derived  from .  the  Egyptian 
romance,  of  which  the  hieroglyphics 
may  still  be  seen.  The  story  of  David 
and  Goliath  is  poetry.  And  Samp- 
son, like  so  many  other  men  of  strength 
in  other  religions,  'is  probably  a  sun 
myth.'  What  evil  will  result  if  it  is 
known  that  the  inculcation  of  high  duty 
in  the  childhood  of  the  world  was  em- 


38  N?VS  AnSOLVKD. 

bodied  in  such  quaint  stories  as  those 
of  Jonah.  Balaam  and  Lot?  And  Avhat 
is  tlie  harm  in  having  learned  that  the 
blessed  founder  of  our  religion  viv/x  (t 
mail  /  What  matter  if  those  v.ho  in- 
cor])orated  the  creation  lore  of  J^aby- 
lonia  and  other  oriental  nations  in  the 
sacred  l)ook  of  the  IIel)rews  mixed  it 
with  their  own  conceptions  and  deduc- 
tions ?  AYhat  evil  is  to  come  from  the 
fact  that  Darwin  changed  the  whole 
aspect  of  our  creation  m3'ths :  that 
Lyell  and  his  compeers  placed  the  He- 
brew story  of  the  creation  and  of  the 
deluge  of  Xoah  among  legends ;  that 
Capernicus  put  an  end  to  the  literal 
accei)tance  of  the  sun  standing  still 
for  Joshua ;  or  that  Halley,  in  pro- 
mulgating his  law  of  comets,  put  an 
end  to  the  doctrine  of  signs  and  won- 
ders ;  that  Pinel,  in  showing  that  all 
insanity  is  physical  disease,  relegated 
to  the  realm  of  mythology  the  witch  of 
Endor   and    all    stories    of    demoniacal 


U'AU.  RELUiliiy  AXI)  LOYK. 


39 


possession  ;  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Shaff  and 
a  mnltitnde  of  recent  Christian  travelers 
in  Palestine  have  put  into  the  reahn  of 
legend  the  stor}^  of  Lot's  wife  trans- 
formed into  a  pillar  of  salt ;  and  that 
anthropologists,  by  showing  how  man 
has  arisen  everywhere  from  low,  brutal 
beginnings,  have  destroyed  the  Avhole 
theological  theory  of  the  '  Fall  of  man.' 
The  great  body  of  sacred  literature 
becomes  more  valuable  to  us,  as  we 
grasp  the  law  of  evolution,  that  through 
myth,  parable  and  poem  we  are  ap- 
proaching a  reasonable  religion,  taught 
by  Jesus  Christ.  Unitarianism  is  the 
crystallization  of  the  teaching  of  the 
mrm  of  Galilee,  with  a  full  recognition 
of  the  eternal  fact  that  the  laws  of  na- 
ture have  never  been  interfered  with, 
and  that  a  personal  exemplification  of 
His  teaching,  which  w^e  believe  to  be 
not  only  possible  but  the  sensible  thing 
to  do,  is  life  in  Christ.'' 


CHAi'TER  III. 

IIUGGIXG     A     DELUSION. 

Tlie  routine  of  camp  life  continued  for 
several  months  with  l)ut  little  to  inter- 
rujH  its  nionotonv.  Their  communication 
with  the  base  of  supplies  was  occasion- 
ally cut  oil',  necessitating  foraging. 
Dick  Dale  soon  established  and  main- 
tained the  reputation  of  a  reckless 
forager  and  his  daring  several  times  came 
near  costing  him  his  life.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  left  the  camp  early  in  the  morn- 
ing. ex])ecting  to  return  in  time  for 
dinner.  One,  two,  three,  four  and  five 
o'clock  came  and  he  had  not  returned. 
General  anxiety  was  felt  for  his  safety. 
The  major  had  his  horse  saddled,  his 
carbines  and  his  revolvers  in  their  places 
and  his  liorse  standing  at  his  tent.  For 
the  iirst  time  in  his  soldier  life  he 
appeared  nervous.  II is  held  glass  had 
40 


WAR,  RELKilON  A^D  LOVE.  41 

been  to  his  eye  for  an  hour,  looking  in 
every  direction.  Suddenly  he  dropped 
his  glass,  mounted  his  horse,  plunged 
his  spurs  deep  into  his  sides  and  was  off 
like  the  wind.  Less  than  half  a  mile 
brought  him  in  full  view  of  Dick  closely 
pursued  by  four  mounted  Confederates. 
Dick's  horse,  though  the  best  in  the 
regiment,  impeded  as  he  was  by  two 
turkeys  and  seven  chickens,  w^as  not  a 
match  for  the  Kentucky  thoroughbreds. 
Instantly  the  major  Avas  by  his  side  and 
as  he  approached,  pitched  him  a  carbine, 
and  the  next  moment  two  of  the  Con- 
federate saddles  were  empty  and  the 
other  two  pursuers  fled.  Dick  remarked 
to  the  major,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye, 
as  they  rode  back  to  camp,  each  leading 
a  horse,  "I  don't  know  what  I  am  to  do 
for  feed  for  two  horses ;  I  have  had  to 
divide  my  rations  with  one  for  the  last 
ten  days." 

On   the   following   day,  the   colonel's 
health  being  poor,  he  tendered  his  resig- 


42  N/.YS  .UiSiiLVHI). 

nation.  The  lieutenant-colonel  was  a 
man  of  reniarkal)le  niodesty.  and  he 
requested  that  Major  Wallace  be  com- 
missioned colonel. 

The  major  had  steadily  grown  in  the 
estimation  of  the  men.  His  uniform 
kindness  to  them,  his  courage,  and  liis 
persistent  unwillingness  to  receive  the 
])est  of  that  which  was  brought  in  by  the 
foragers,  and  his  dignified  soldierly  i^ear- 
ing  was  their  ideal  of  a  military  hero, 
and  they  almost  worshiped  him. 

In  a  few  days  after  he  was  commis- 
sioned colonel  he  received  marching 
orders,  and  in  less  than  a  month  they 
were  under  fire  more  than  thirteen  hours 
in  one  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of  the  late 
war,  whicli  lasted  two  days. 

Kai'ly  in  the  battle  the  brigade  com- 
mander to  which  his  regiment  belonged, 
w^as  killed,  and  he  being  the  raiiking  col- 
onel  at  once  took  command  of  the  brigade. 
He  had  two  horses  shot  under  him,  and 
was  shot  through  the  calf  of  the  leg,  but 


WAR.  RELIGIOX  AXD  LOVE.  43 

remained  at  his  post  of  duty  under  fire 
until  the  victory  was  won.  He  was 
brevetted  brigadier-general  "  for  unsur- 
passed gallantry  on  the  battle-field."  lie 
remained  on  his  horse  and  under  heavy 
fire  for  six  hours  after  he  was  wounded. 

Twice  a  superior  officer  said  to  him, 
''The  rear  is  the  place  for  a  wounded  man, 
and  while  your  country  needs  you  right 
now,  I  fear  you  will  faint  from  the  loss 
of  blood." 

The  colonel  said.  ''  I  must  be  with  my 
brigade  when  the  final  charge  is  made.'' 
and  he  was. 

"My  dear  General."'  said  the  chaplain, 
"  I  am  glad  your  wound  is  no  worse,  you 
will  be  in  the  saddle  in  a  few  days,  but 
as  you  are  a  man  of  great  personal  cour- 
age and  expose  yourself  to  shot  and 
shell  that  is  sometimes  believed  to  be 
needless,  it  appears  to  me  to  be  a  proper 
time  for  you  to  seek  salvation  through  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  A  vicarious  atone- 
ment is  needed  by  all,  and  those  of  a  pure 


44 


S/.VS  AliSOLVKl). 


life  are  prone  to  l)e  self-righteous  and 
therefore  need  it  more  even  than  those 
having  led  a  wicked  life."' 

•'The  hlood  of  JrsKs!"  exclaimed  the 
general.  "  Well,  Chaplain,  I  am  not  a 
coward  on  the  battle-field,  and  I  am  not 
afraid  of  my  record.  As  I  am  now  in 
the  hospital,  snn*onnded  by  soldiers  suf- 
fering with  gangrene,  and  though  my 
wound  is  slight  it  may  be  attacked  with 
gangrene  and  I  be  mustered  out  to 
ap[»ear  before  the  bar  of  God  in  a  few 
hours,  it  is  neither  immodest  nor  bombas- 
tic in  me  to  say  what  I  believe  to  be  the 
truth  of  myself." 

"  Hello,  Dick  ;  here  you  are  again.  I 
su])pose  you  are  going  to  dress  that  leg. 
Mr.  Chaplain  come  again,  I  want  to  have 
a  longer  conversation  with  you  upon  the 
subject  under  discussion  to-day." 

"  Dick  sit  down  on  the  edge  of  the 
bed  near  me  ;  I  want  to  talk  to  you.  I 
like  the  surgeon  ;  he  is  a  jolly,  Avhole- 
soul,  good  fellow,  and  he  is  very  kind  to 


WAR.  RNLltiloy  ASD  lJ)Vt:. 


45 


me,  but  I  do  think  your  touch  is  lighter 
than  his,  and  I  know  you  pull  the  lint 
out  of  that  rat  hole  in  my  leg  with  less 
pain  than  he  does.  I  don't  know  what  I 
would  do  if  it  was  not  for  you.  I  think 
you  would  steal  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy blind  to  get  me  something  to  eat. 
But,  Dick,  you  are  a  bold,  reckless 
fellow  ;  you  take  chances  that  are  not 
demanded  by  the  highest  soldierly  bear- 
ing. I  was  watching  you  when  you  car- 
ried that  box  of  cartridges  through  that 
awful  storm  of  minie-balls.  sweetened 
with  grape  and  canister,  and  I  saw  your 
horse  fall.  A  shudder  came  over  me 
and  T  said  to  a  corps  commander  who 
was  near  by  me,  'My  God!  Our  best 
orderly  is  killed.'  We  saw  you  spring 
to  your  feet,  grab  the  cartridges,  and  on 
the  dead  run,  take  them  to  the  captain 
through  a  storm  of  lead  and  fire  from 
which  we  saw  no  hope  of  escape.  He 
directed  me  to  put  3'ou  in  the  line  of 
promotion,  and  he  brevetted  you  major 


46  s/_vs  Ans(iL\'i:i>. 

for  gallantry  on  the  battle-iiekl.  By  the 
way,  Dick,  do  yon  knoAv  that  if  yon  had 
been  killed  when  yonr  horse  was  shot 
nnder  yon  the  battle  wonld  have  l^een 
lost,  and  the  whole  conntry  wonld  to-day 
l)e  in  nionrning  over  the  defeat,  instead 
of  reioicing-  as  it  now  is  over  a  g-reat 
victory,  and  defeat  in  that  battle  wonld 
have  prolonged  the  war  at  a  cost  of 
millions  of  money,  and  thonsands  of 
lives."' 

'■  AVhy.  rxeneral,"*  said  Dick,  "'what 
have  I  done  that  yon  shonld  slap  me  in 
the  face  with  snch  scathing  ii'ony?  no- 
body bnt  yon  pays  any  attention  to  me  ; 
they  say  I  am  prond  becanse  I  am  yonr 
orderly.  I  am  scarcely  spoken  to  once 
a  day.  and  no  one  comes  to  my  tent.  I 
might  as  well  be  in  a  great  wilderness  as 
here.  Jnst  yesterday  the  cook  called  me 
a  damned  stnck-np  dude,  becanse  I 
couldn't  bring  him  a  pail  of  water  when 
I  was  coming  to  dress  your  leg,  and 
when  I  told  what  I  was  going  to  do,  he 


ii'.i/.'.  hi:ltgi(ix  Axn  i,nvi:.  ^-j 

said,  '  Oh,  hell  ;  vuu  dress  his  leg.  that's 
too  damned  thin  ;  let  the  surgeon  do  that, 
and  you  bring  me  a  pail  of  water,  or  I 
will  put  a  head  on  you/  I  never  heard 
such  language  in  all  my  life  ;  it  fright- 
ened me:  And  now  if  you  turn  against 
me  I  will  go  home/' 

"'Well,  Diet,  in  the  first  place,  you 
have  no  home  ;  in  the  second  place  you 
are  an  enlisted  man  and  can't  go  home  ; 
in  the  third  place  you  are  the  best  orderly 
in  the  army,  and  in  the  foui'th  place  I 
meant  just  what  I  said,  and  there  was 
no  irony  in  it.  When  you  came  back 
to  me  after  delivering  the  cartridges, 
I  felt  then  as  I  do  now,  that  I  would 
like  to  embrace  you  as  Napoleon  did 
Marshal  Xey.'' 

"Well,  General,  as  you  are  in  earnest, 
you  haTe  my  permission  ;  for,  if  I  could 
be  hugged  into  the  delusion,  for  a  few 
moments  even,  that  I  was  like  Marshal 
]S'ey,  I  would  be  happy.  Even  that 
would  beat  no  hugging,  and  I  have  ob- 


S/.VX  AliSdLVHI) 


ser\ed  that  in  army  life  tluM'e  is  a  great 
dearth  of  that  kind  of  entertainment/' 

''  Yes.  Dick ;  von.  my  oi'derly,  Avas, 
in  the  providence  of  God.  the  cause  of 
the  great  victory,  and  you  [)revented 
defeat.  I  do  not  mean  a  special  provi- 
dence, for  that  would  mean  a  i-lniiiyeahlr 
Oi'ity,  a  special  adjustment  of  some- 
thing that  had  not  been  anticipated  and 
provided  for.  and  that  was  not  in  the 
original  plan,  but  I  mean  in  the  grand 
sweep  of  (iod's  plans  you  were  the  key- 
stone in  the  arch.  You  know  the  last 
desperate  charge  of  the  enem}',  that  was 
so  magniiicently  repulsed  by  our  brig- 
ade, occuri'ed  within  ten  minutes  after 
that  company  got  the  cartridges  from 
your  hands.  You  also  know  that  the 
company  was  out  of  ammunition,  and 
that  it  was  in  almost  the  mathematical 
center  of  the  brigade.  And  you  know 
that  brigade  held  the  post  of  honor,  and 
of  the  greatest  danger  in  the  line  of 
battle.     You  know  our  who^e  line  was 


Tl'.lfi,  RELKilny  AMi  LitVE.  49 

advanced,  and  the  final  charge  all  along 
the  line,  that  resulted  in  rout  and  vic- 
tory, occurred  twenty-three  minutes 
thereafter.  If  that  company  had  given 
way  at  that  awfully  critical  moment,  as 
they  would  have  done  in  five  minutes, 
what  then  ?  For  no  amount  of  valor 
will  hold  men  in  line  without  ammuni- 
tion. Even  Eoman  soldiers  or  Xapo- 
leon's  old  guard  would  not  attempt  to 
repel  a  charge  without  means  of  de- 
fense. Xot  even  the  invincible  Grecian 
phalanx,  commanded  b}'  Alexander  the 
Great,  could  have  withstood  such  a 
charge  as  that  without  the  necessary 
Aveapons  of  war." 

"'Dick,  I  like  you  for  your  kindness 
to  me,  for  your  courage,  and  for  your 
unvarying  dignified  bearing.  I  have 
observed  your  every  action  since  you 
came  to  the  regiment  from  that  awful 
wreck  at  sea,  in  which  all  that  was  dear 
to  me  went  down,  and  no  time,  in 
camp,  on  the  march,   or   on  the  battle- 


50 


.i.YS  J  i;S'i[.VKD. 


Held,  have  vou  (Idiie  ;in_vthiiig'  excei^t 
that  which  woiihl  be  coiniiiended  if 
(lone  by  the  most  schohii-ly  Christian 
gentleman  ;  and  more  than  that,  Dick," 
and  something  came  into  his  tliroat  and 
tears  came  into  liis  eyes,  ''if  my  poor 
h)St  Agnes  had  ever  had  a  brother.  I 
wonld  think  yon  were  he,  yon  are  so 
nineli  ]ik<>  Iter.  Kxctise  my  emotion, 
Dick,  and  y(jn  mnst  not  cry  ;  we  ai'e 
soldiers  now.  and  we  are  not  snp])osed 
to  have  hearts.'' 

••  (reneral,"  said  Dick,  "  I  am  only  a 
])oor  ontcast.  I  have  neither  friends 
nor  home.  I  have  nothing  out  of  the 
army  to  live  for.  The  only  person  I 
evei'  loved  I  then  sn])posed  did  not  re- 
turn my  love.  I  was  saved  from  death 
at  sea,  at  the  time  of  that  wreck,  almost 
against  my  will,  and  I  determined 
to  go  into  the  army,  and.  if  necessary, 
throw  my  life  away  in  battle.  All  I 
can  now  do  is  to  thank  yon,  and  to 
assure  yoti  that  I  will  prove  worthy  of 


TI'.IR.  RELT(rlOy  AXD   TJ)VK.  51 

your  respect  and  confidence  if  I  have 
to  die  to  do  it.  I  said,  when  yon  ap- 
pointed me  yonr  orderly,  that  I  would 
perform  all  duties  imposed  upon  me  in  a 
fearless  manner.*' 

••  Yes,  my  dear  boy,  and  you  have 
more  than  kept  your  promise.  But, 
Dick,  what  have  you  to  say  about  the 
major's  commission  ?'* 

•'  I  would  gladly  accept  it,  and  I 
would  not  bring  dishonor  upon  the 
shoulder-straps.  You  will,  however, 
lose  an  orderly." 

"But  I  will  get  a  major  for  my  staff,'' 
said  the  general. 

''  Hello  !  there  comes  the  chaplain.  You 
may  remain,  Dick,  and  hear  the  conver- 
sation. I  am  going  to  do  my  utmost  to 
drive  him  into  an  impenetrable  theologi- 
cal jungle,  and  then  I  am  going  to  hammer 
the  brush.  After  all,  the  best  man  is 
merely  the  product  of  ancestral  influence 
and  his  environment,  and,  if  it  be  true 
that  humanity  as  a  whole  is  to  the  stream 


52 


.S7A"N  Ai:SnLVi:]>. 


of  creative  enero-y  at^  is  a  hu1)ble  on  the 
surface  of  a  river  out  of  wliicli  it  but 
recently  came,  and  into  which  it  is  soon 
to  go,  even  then  a  ])iire  life  pays  an 
annual  dividend  of  fifty  \)ev  cent  on  the 
investment/' 


CHAPTER  lY. 

(lEXERAL    AVALLACE    AND    THE 
CHAPLAIN. 

"CTOod-morniiig,  General,"  said  the 
chaplain,  "  will  yon  have  a  cigar  ?  " 

"!N^o,  thank  yon.  Chaplain,  I  never 
smoke.  When  we  last  parted,  Mr.  Chap- 
lain, I  had  jnst  said,  in  view  of  my 
present  surronndings,  it  Avas  neither  im- 
modest nor  bombastic  in  me  to  say  the 
trnth,  and  that  I  am  not  afraid  of  my 
record.  And  yon  had  said,  "  ISTo  matter 
what  my  record  had  been,  that  I  mnst 
obtain  salvation  throngh  the  blood  of 
Jesns,  in  a  vicarions  atonement,  or  be 
doomed  to  endless  perdition.'  A  personal 
reference  to  myself  is,  therefore,  proper 
under  the  circumstances." 

''Yes,  General,"  said  the  chaplain,  "I 
have  been  informed  that  your  life  has 
been  exceptionally  free  from  vice ;  that 


54 


S'LVS  ABS(iLVi:i>. 


you  never  gave  your  })are]its  a  moment'^ 
uuliappiuess  :  that  you  wereahvay^^  o1)ed- 
ient  :  that  you  were  at  all  times  kind  to 
your  playmates,  and  that  you  never  stood 
less  than  100  in  dei)ortment  in  school  or 
in  college  ;  that  you  never  used  tobacco 
in  any  form  ;  that  you  never  drank  a  drop 
of  spirituous  liquors  ;  that  you  never  told 
a  falsehood  :  that  you  ne\er  have  sworn 
an  oath  :  that  your  association  with 
women  has  been  of  a  cliaracter  that  it 
would  not  bring-  a  l)lush  to  your  mother's 
cheek,  nor  to  yotir  own.  if  she  had  seen  it 
all  :  that  yon  never  declined  to  give  lib- 
erally to  the  needy,  and  that  you  exem- 
plified in  your  daily  life  your  belief  in 
the  brotherhood  of  man  and  the  father- 
hood of  God.  The  only  accusation  I  ever 
heard  against  you  was.  that  yoti  were 
proud  of  youi"  ancestry." 

•'Well  Mr.  Cliaplain;'  said  Wallace, 
••  that  appears  to  me  to  be  overdrawn  : 
if  you  are  not  mistaken  it  is  strange  that 
I  did  not  die  vouni>'.     What  I  was  about 


WAR.  UKLKllOX  AND  IJiVi:.  55 

to  say  of  myself  was  that  I  have  iieN  er 
for  one  hour  forgotten  the  pale  angelic 
face  of  my  dying  mother.  I  was  fifteen 
years  old.  As  the  death  dew  gathered 
on  her  brow  she  beckoned  me  to  come 
to  her.  As  I  knelt  by  her  bed,  she  put 
her  hand  on  my  head  and  said,  '  Don- 
ald, I  gave  yon  to  God  before  you  were 
born,  and  I  have  given  you  to  him  every 
day  since,  and  I  know  he  accepted  you. 
Continue  to  do  your  duty  fearless  of 
consequences,  and  you  will  meet  me  in 
heaven,'  and  her  sweet  soul  passing 
away,  was  received  by  angel  hands  and 
welcomed  by  angelic  hearts  to  a  home  in 
heaven.  My  mother,  in  my  early  child- 
hood, taught  me  this  poem,  and  there 
have  been  but  few  days  in  my  life  that  I 
have  not  repeated  it,  and  it  has  been  the 
mainspring  in  my  conduct : 


'"Courage,  brother,  do  not  stumble. 

Though  the  path  be  dark  asnight, 
There  is  a  star  to  guide  the  humble: 
Trust  to  God  and  do  the  right. 


56  >'/ v>  Aiss(ij.\i:]i. 

I'''ii>li  ii!i!ic\'  and  crniiiiiig. 

i'("ri>li  all  that  tVaf^-  t!ie  lij^lil. 
Whet  Iht  InsiiiL;'.  whetluM-  wiiiiiiiiy. 

Tnisi  {(>  { i()(l  and  do  I  lie  light. 

'J'hcre  art'  thusc  wdm  iircd  niir  heliuiii;'. 

TlKisc  who  listen  for  mii-  song. 
<)nly  those  who  have  Ih'cmi  lortur<Ml. 

Kimw  tlir  liittiM'ness  (if  wrong. 

So  in\  licari  will  gladl.v  holp  them 

Ileal'  their  hui'dens,  >dii  and  1, 
And  will  not  stand  back  like  cowards 

While  the  world  is  moving  \i\." 

"  l^nHaridii,  .•<fjf-rel).(iii(-e^"  said  the 
chaplain.  "  that  same  persoiial  responsi- 
])ility  and  })ei"sonal  accountability,  wholly 
without  reference  to  what  the  reliance 
of  all  ought  to  be  upon  the  vicarious 
sacrifice  made  by  Jesus  Christ.  It  would 
lune  exerted  a  much  more  healthy 
intiuence  over  your  young  and  develop- 
ing mind  if  she  had  taught  you  that  grand 
old  orthodox  hymn,  now  unfortunately 
almost  obsolete  : 

'•  There  is  a  never  ending  hell. 
And  never  dying  pains. 
Where  children  must  wilh  demons  dwell. 
In  darkness,  tire  and  chains. 


WAH.  BE  Lid  lay  Ay'D  Lor/;.  57 

Have  faith  the  same  with  endless  shame. 

To  all  the  human  race  : 
For  hell  is  crammed  with  infants  damned 

Without  a  day  of  grace.'" 

'•  Mr.  Chaplain,  that  is  positively  shock- 
ing-. The  horrors  of  the  battle-field  ;  the 
groans  of  the  dying;  the  atrocities  of 
the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  ;  the 
Spanish  inquisition,  and  the  unparalleled 
wickedness  in  the  last  crusade  when 
Jerusalem  was  taken,  all  pale  before  such 
a  scene.  I  have  never  known  a  man 
brutal  enough  to  voluntarily  supervise 
an  orthodox  hell  for  half  an  hour,  and  I 
am  not  prepared  to  believe  that  God 
does.  Endless  misery  cannot  be  reform- 
atory, therefore,  the  author  of  endless 
punishment  must  be  malignant.  I  have 
always  felt  personally  responsible  for 
my  actions,  helievmg  there  iva-s  no  domain 
not  governed  hy  law,  and  that  the  law, 
'  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall  he 
also  reap'  has  no  exceptions.'' 

'•  Who,  therefore, was  Jesus  Christ,  and 
in  what  way  can  he  do  more  for  humanity 

5 


58  S/-VN  Ar.sor.vhU). 

lliaii  l)e  a  teaclier.  a  beacon  light,  and 
thereby  enaljle  us  to  esca})e  dangerous 
I'ocks  and  shoals?  " 

''■  Why,  my  dear  Generab  Jesus  Christ 
was  tlie  only  begotten  son  of  (rod.  and 
he  was  also  the  ver}'  and  eternal  (xod. 
His  sulFering  in  the  garden  of  (4eth- 
seniane  and  on  the  cross, '  was  in  the  room 
and  stead'  of  all. — '' 

'•  Who  were  elected  at  tliat  early  and 
very  pani>an  election?  "  said  the  general, 
••  who  accei)t  him?  " 

''Mr.  Chaplain,  did  Jesus  suffer  on 
those  occasions  as  man,  or  as  God  ? 
Was  not  Jesus  executed  in  the  usual 
Roman  mode  of  execution  ?  Was  he 
recognized  aftei-  his  alleged  resurrec- 
tion by  Mary  Magdalene,  and  others  ? 
Was  not  he  supposed  to  l)e  the  gar- 
dener ?  Did  he  not  say  in  the  gai'den 
'If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from 
me.  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done  ? ' 
Could  he  have  been  addressing  himself 
when  he  said  thine?     Is  it  not  true  that 


WAR.  HHLKIIOX  AXn  LdVE 


59 


'Jesus  was  born  as  other  children  are 
born,  and  that  his  father  Joseph  was 
suspicious  of  illegitimacy  ;  '  for  he  was 
minded  to  put  her  away  privily?'  Is 
it  not  true  that  the  only  evidence  of  a 
miraculous  conception  ivas  a  drecnn  ?>// 
a  man,  his  father  Joseph?  Is  it  not 
true  that  nine  other  sacred  religions 
have  all  had  similar  alleged  God  origin, 
and  that  you  reject  all  of  them?  Is  it 
not  true  that  Jesus  'grew  in  stature  and 
increased  in  knowledge  '  as  other  chil- 
dren do?  Is  it  not  true  that  he  had  the 
physical  weakness,  the  secretions  and 
excretions  of  other  children?  Is  it  not 
true  that  his  mother  said  to  him,  '  Your 
father  Joseph  and  I  have  sought  you 
sorrowing?'  Is  it  not  true  that  Jesus 
disappeared  from  Palestine  at  the  age 
of  thirteen,  and  did  not  reappear  for 
eighteen  years?  Is  it  not  true  that  the 
Golden  Rule  —  the  central  truth  of  The 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  the  highest 
teaching    the    world    ever   knew  —  was 


6o  >'/-V>-'  .n;siiLvi:ii. 

iittei'od  by  ( "oiifiK'ius  in  a  nc'nalive  form 
six  hundred  and  fifty  ^cai's  JK'fore  Jesus 
Avas  born,  in  a  s(i-/uo/t  od  ///p  moiiiit  /  Is 
it  not  true  tliat  profane  liistorians  assert 
that  it  was  no  uneoninion  event  for  nien 
to  disa|)pear  and  rea])])ear  after  many 
years?  Is  it  not  reasonable  nliat  Jesus 
visited  India  and  obtained  the  saered 
lore  of  oriental  eountries?  Is  it  not 
true  that  durin<4-  all  the  years  between 
the  birth  of  Jesus  and  his  alleged  I'esur- 
reetion,  that  superstition  and  not  reason 
controlled  the  peojde';:^  Is  it  not  true 
that  any  phenomenon,  however  in  defi- 
ance of  reason,  was  accepted  as  true 
if  accompanied  with  signs  and  v,on- 
ders ;  and  is  it  not  true  that  Jesus 
Christ  was  a  carpenter  after  liis  reap[)ear- 
ance  until  a  short  time  before  his  execu- 
tion?'' 

''  Yes,  (reneral,  the  Bible  is  full  of  mys- 
teries, and  of  statements  that  appear  to 
be  unreasonable,  and  I.  with  m}'  name- 
sake, Calvin,  admit  the  decrees  of  God 


WAR.  UElJdKiy  AXD  L<iVE.  6 1 

are  horrible,  but  they  are  in  the  Bil)le 
and  we  must  accept  them." 

•'Mr.  Chaplain.  I  think  the  fact  that 
neither  reason,  the  old  or  the  new  testa- 
ment, if  pi-operly  translated  and  under- 
stood, nor  history,  teaches  Jesus  to  have 
been  God,  can  be  as  near  demonstrated 
as  any  truth  ]yin<>-  outside  of  pure  math- 
ematics. It  is  a  fact  the  wily  and  h3^po- 
critical  Emperor  Con stan tine,  who  had 
been  both  a  Unitarian  and  Trinitarian  as 
best  suited  his  purpose  at  the  time,  finally 
became  a  Trinitarian,  and  gave  the  col- 
oring of  Trinitarianism  to  the  teaching 
during  his  reign,  which  was  the  immedi- 
ate cause  of  the  bloody  dissensions  that 
followed,  and  the  remote  cause  of  the 
blood-shed  that  has  disgraced  Chris- 
tianity since.  Much  of  the  dark  and 
bloody  record  of  Christianity,  and  its  in- 
tolerance ;  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew, and  the  Spanish  inquisition,  which 
in  Spain  alone  sacrificed  in  the  most 
bloody  and  brutal'manner  a  thousand  a 


S/.VS  AllSdl.  \'i:i>. 


year  for  tliree  centuries,  of  lier  Ijest  men, 
should  l)e  ree<)i>-nize(l  as  the  h:^.!j;itnuate 
fruita^-e  of  Ti'iuitai-iiinisni,  and  its  intol- 
erant do,ii'inas  thrust  into  the  pure  teaeh- 
inys  of  flesus  by  Constantine,  <(//</  fJir 
Jo/v  rrfdf/'r/'  position  of  Spain  tiinoiKj 
initioiis  to-<huj  IS  (III  ! iif^.voi'iihh:-  si-ipifiice. 
Jf'sns  (IS  (I  MAX  eouiniands  the  honor  and 
homage  of  the  world.  Keason  rebels 
against  the  conception  of  Jesus  as  God, 
he  having  been  boi'u.  died,  was  some- 
times disa])pointed.  and  asserte<l  that 
there  were  some  things  he  did  not  know. 
The  great  and  eternal  God,  who  fills  the 
immensity  of  boundless  space  with  his 
presence,  and  is  the  soul  of  every  mole- 
cule and  of  e\ery  aggregation  of  mole- 
cules ;  who  created  our  solar  system  and 
all  the  systems  of  our  nebula',  and  the 
grand  centre  ai'ound  Avhich  they  all  re- 
volve, and  all  the  remote  nebuke,  that  have 
been,  and  are  being  evolved  into  suns 
and  planetary  systems,  a  man,  is  to  me 
the  culmination  of  imbecile  and  saciileg- 


WAR.  RELIGIoy  ASD  LdVK.  63 

ions  thought.  I  do  not  use  the  word 
creation  in  the  orthodox  sense  of  the 
creation  of  matter  out  of  nothing.  The 
hiw  of  conversion  of  energy,  rigidly 
excludes  both  creation  and  annihilation. 
God  created  all  solar  systems  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  law  of  cosmic  evolution  out- 
lined by  Hume,  and  elaborated  by  La 
Place  in  the  Xeubular  Hypothesis.  And 
he  created  man,  by  the  continuous  opera- 
tion through  millions  of  years  through 
the  force  of  organic  evolution,  from  the 
lowest  to  the  highest  organism  by  the 
adjustment  of  internal  conditions  to  the 
environment,  as  outlined  by  the  immor- 
tal Darwin,  and  the  absence  of  linl'S 
j)roves  the  eocistence  of  the  chain.  The 
Christian  and  the  natural  philosopher 
of  to-day  may  dwell  amid  conceptions 
which  beggar  those  of  Milton,  in  con- 
templating the  works  of  Deity.  Look 
at  the  integrated  energies  of  the  world 
— the  stored  power  of  our  coal-fields,  our 
winds  and  rivers,  our  fleets,  our  armies, 


64 


s/.vs  .\J!siilm-:d. 


and  our  u'uns.  They  are  all  generated 
by  a  portion  of  the  sun's  enei'gy  tliat  does 
not  amount  to  a  two  Ijillion,  three  hiin- 
di'ed  millionth  of  the  whole.  This  is  the 
entire  fraction  of  the  sun's  force  inter- 
cej)ted  by  the  earth,  and  we  convert  but 
a  small  fraction  of  this  fraction  into 
mechanical  energy.  Multiplying-  all  our 
powers  by  millions  of  millions  we  do  not 
reach  the  sun's  ex])enditure.  And  yet, 
notwithstanding  this  enormous  drain, 
we  are  unable  to  detect  a  diminution  of 
his  store.  Measured  l\v  our  highest  ter- 
restrial standards  such  a  reservoir  of 
power  is  infinite,  but  it  is  our  ]jrivilege 
to  rise  a1K)^•e  these  standards,  and  to 
regard  the  sun  himself  as  a  speck  in 
infinite  extension  —  a  mere  drop  in  the 
universal  sea.  AVe  pass  to  other  sys- 
tems, and  other  suns,  each  pouring  forth 
energy  like  our  own,  but  without  in- 
fringement of  the  law,  which  reveals 
immutability  in  the  midst  of  change. 
•  Waves  may  change  to  ripple  and   rip- 


n'AR.  liKLKiKiX  AXD  iOTK.  65 

pie  to  Avaves  —  magnitude  may  be  sub- 
stituted for  number,  and  number  for 
magnitude  —  nebula^  i^^^^y  aggregate  to 
suns,  suns  may  invest  their  energy  in 
flora  and  fauna,  and  flora  and  fauna  may 
melt  into  air  —  the  sweep  of  po\yer  is 
eternally  the  same.'  It  rolls  in  music 
through  the  ages,  and  the  manifestations 
of  organic  life,  as  well  as  the  display  of 
physical  phenomena  are  but  the  modu- 
lations of  the  r^^thm  of  the  force  of  nature 
controlled  and  directed  by  their  author, 
God,  before  whom  we  bow  in  awe,  won- 
der and  admiration.  Reason,  therefore, 
is  cqjpalled  at  the  helief  that  Jesus  luas 
God" 

''Well,  General,"  said  the  chaplain, 
"your  scholarly  attainments  and  your 
enthusiastic  defense  of  your  position 
delights  me.  You  are,  however,  more  a 
lawyer  and  a  soldier  than  a  judge.  You 
appear  to  have  carried  my  whole  line  of 
breast- works  by  your  masterly  assault, 
but  you  will  find  that  in  my  position  — 


66  N/.VN  AliS'iLVKIi. 

the  (xod^hi])  of  'Jesus  —  when  yon  con- 
sult tlie  Biljle,  that  I  am  so  firmly  en- 
trenched that  my  forces  are  absolutely 
invulnerable.  The  most  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  the  Lordship  of  Jesus  —  that 
he  was  a  Messiah  —  is  found  in  the 
prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  it 
amounts  almost  to  a  demonstration.  It 
is  found  in  Isaiah,  the  ninth  chapter  and 
the  sixth  verse,  and  reads,  '  Unto  ye  a 
child  is  born  :  unto  us  a  son  is  given. 
The  government  sliall  be  upon  his 
shoulders,  and  his  name  shall  be  AVon- 
derful  Counselo]',  the  Mighty  God,  the 
Everlasting-  Father,  the  Prince  of 
Peace.'  What  stronger  evidence  could 
any  reasonable  man  want?  There  is  also 
the  strongest  corroborative  evidence  in 
the  Xew  Testament.'" 

"Mr.  Chaplain,  my  own  knowledge  of 
the  original  language  warrants  me  in 
saying,  there  is  no  reason  whatever  for 
believing  the  prophet  had  Jesus  in  his 
mind  when  he  uttered  it.     The  English 


itm;?.  Hh:LiGi()N  Ayn  love.  67 

translation  of  that  passage  is  faulty  ;  it 
does  not  refer  to  an  incarnate  Deity,  bnt 
simply  to  a  human  king.  The  words 
Might}^  God  and  Everlasting  Father, 
which  seem  to  indicate  Deity,  should  be 
left  out  and  other  words  nsed  in  their 
places  referring-  to  a  man.  Therefore, 
the  strongest  proof  of  the  Godship  of 
Jesus  in  the  Old  Testament  fades  away.* 
'*  I  know  it  is  believed  by  many  that 
Jesus  was  God,  because  of  the  stories 
of  miraculous  birth  found  in  the  open- 
ing chapters  of  Mark,  Matthew,  and 
Luke.  Legends  have  grown  np  around 
many  of  the  great  men  of  the  past, 
especially  great  religious  leaders,  as 
Budha,  Zoroaster,  and  Moses.  Budha 
was  born  of  a  virgin  ;  so  was  Fo-hi,  the 
ancient  founder  of  the  Chinese  religion. 
Zoroaster  was  miraculously  conceived. 
Romulus,  the  founder  of  Kome,  was  the 


*Dr.  Briggs,  President  Harper.  Prof.  Eobert  E. 
Smith,  all  believe  Isaiah  had  in  his  mind  the  perfect 
performance  of  the  ordinary  duties  of  monarchy,  and 
the  new  translation  also  takes  that  view. 


68  >'?-V><-  ADSfiLYEh. 

son  of  the  u'od  Mars.  Alexander  the 
(ireat  "had  a  human  mother,  but  his  father 
was  tlie  ,^'()d  Jupiter.  The  miraeulous 
l)irlh  stoi'ies  about  'lesus  iWQ  fodiid  onlij 
ill  Mdtflni!'  (1 11(1  IjiiVi',  they  are  not 
found  in  Murk,  eertainly  the  oldest 
(M)S|)el.  This  faet  is  sus|)icit)us. 
<^)uite  as  suspieious,  too.  is  the  faet 
that  Jesus  hiriiself  never  refers  to  any 
sueh  miraeulous  birth.  Nobody  during* 
his  life-time  appeai-s  to  have  known  any- 
thing about  it.  If  (rod.  and  not  man. 
was  his  i'ather,  and  if  his  birth  was 
heralded  by  angels,  and  attended  by  mira- 
eulous presenees.  why  were  his  brothers 
and  relatives  so  long  in  believing  in 
himV  Even  his  mother  seemed  not  to 
haye  known  the  story,  that  he  had  no 
human  father;  for  she  said  when  he  was 
lost  in  the  temple,  '  Thy  father  Joseph 
and  I  have  sought  thee  sorrowing.' 
Those  miraeulous  birth  stories  are  the 
legendary  accretions  that  gathered  about 
the    history    of    Jesus    long    after    his 


TI'.IZ.',  liELTGKiy  Ayn  TJJVE.  69 

death ;  after  the  compilation  of  the 
Gospel  of  Mark.  It  would  be  a  marvel- 
ous thing-  if  the  histories  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  left  out  the  fact  that  he  was 
president  of  the  United  States  during 
this  awful  war,  and  yet,  it  would  not  be 
a  thousandth  part  so  marvelous  or  so 
unaccountable  as  that  the  su]n'eme  God 
of  the  universe  should  incarnate  him- 
self in  Jesus  of  Xazareth  and  dwell  on 
the  earth  thirty-three  years  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  himself  and  his  salva- 
tion knoAvn  to  men,  and  then  should 
allow  the  histories  of  the  time  and  the 
biography  of  the  man  in  whom  he  was 
incarnated  to  be  so  written  as  to  convey 
to  the  future  ages  no  clear  idea  of  who 
he  was  and  what  he  had  done.  In  the 
most  authentic  gospels  —  Matthew, 
Mark,  and  Luke  —  Jesus  clearly  and 
repeatedly  states  that  he  is  not  God. 
Very  grave  doubts  are  entertained  by 
the  best  scholars  whether  the  Gospel  of 
John  came  from  his  pen,   or  from  any 


.ii!s<>rA'j:i> 


disciple,  and  some  of  the  most  learned 
believe  the  evidence  is  irresistible  that 
it  did  not,  ]My  own  investigations  lead 
me  to  belieN'e  it  is  not  gennine.  Jesns" 
own  declarations  found  in  all  the  gospels, 
that  he  is  not  (rod,  onght  to  be  accepted 
as  final.  Among  them  are  found  such 
passages  as  :  '  ]N[y  leather  is  greater  than 
I.  I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing  ; 
the  words  which  I  speak  unto  you  I 
speak  not  of  myself.  I^ut  of  the  Father 
that  dwedeth  in  me.  lie  doth  these 
works.  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of 
Him  that  sent  me  ;  of  that  day  and 
hour  knoweth  no  man.  no.  not  the 
angels  wdiich  are  in  heaven,  neither  the 
son.  but  the  Father.'  'Why  callest 
thou  me  good  ?  there  is  none  good 
but  one,  that  is  God.'  '  I  ascend  unto 
my  Father;  to  my  (iod  and  3'our  God.' 
Jesus  always  prays  to  another  as  God, 
and  teaches  his  disciples  to  pray  to 
God  and  not  to  himself.  When  a  youth 
he  Avas  spoken  of  as  '  increasing  in  Avis- 


TTMR,  RELIGKiy  AyD  LnVK.  -J  I 

dom  and  stature,  and  in  favor  Avith  (rod 
and  man/  He  was  tempted  ;  he  mingled 
with  men  as  himself  a  man;  he  snflers 
as  others  suffer ;  he  weeps  as  others 
weep  ;  he  is  disappointed  as  others  are 
disappointed,  as,  for  example,  at  the  fig 
tree.  Jesus  had  his  hours  of  discour- 
agement and  gloom,  as  other  men  have. 
On  the  cross  he  exclaimed  :  'My  God, 
my  God,  Avhy  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ? ' 
The  alleged  miracles  of  Jesus  have  no 
weight  as  evidence  in  proving  him  to 
have  been  God.  All  remarkable  per- 
sons in  those  days  wrought  miracles, 
and  the  Bible  represents  Elijah  as  rais- 
ing the  dead.  There  is  no  evidence 
whatever  that  the  disciples  regarded 
Jesus  as  more  than  a  man.  At  one 
time  Peter  rebuked  him  ;  in  the  garden 
of  Gethsemane  all  the  disciples  forsook 
him  and  fled  ;  during  the  trial  of  Jesus, 
Peter  denied  him  ;  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, Peter  coolly  began  that  remark- 
able   discourse,     'Jesus    of     Nazareth, 


S'/.YN  .ir.SoLVEIi 


'I  UKiii  a|)|)roved  of  (iod,  among  you,  \)\ 
mii'acles  and  signs  and  wonders,  which 
(^(xl  (lid  II II  III  III.'  The  alleged  miracles 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  of 
•lesns,  in  the  orthodox  sense,  must  be 
rejected.  The  resurrection  of  a  human 
l)odY  is  a  scientilic  impossibility,  and.  as 
the  laws  of  nature  have  never  been 
departed  fi'om.  it  has  always  l)een  an 
impossil)ility.  The  prophetic  view  — 
the  scientific  use  of  the  imagiiuition,  as 
Tyndall  would  say  —  of  i*aul  when  he 
referred  to  the  spiritual  body,  may  have 
embodied  a  great  truth  lying  at  present 
among  the  unsolved  problems,  which, 
when  solved,  may  clear  u})  some  of  the 
inconsistencies  of  orthodoxy.  There 
are  reasons  for  believing  that  there 
exists  an  attenuated,  ethereal,  material 
l>o(hj,  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  visi- 
ble body,  and  that  this  spiritual  body  is 
evolved  at  death,  and  that  it  carries  on 
the  complex  order  of  motion  that  con- 
stitutes physical  life.     There  are  unmis- 


WAR.  RKLlGluy  AXD  LOVE.  73 

takable  evideiices  of  cataclysmic  evolu- 
tion ;  the  most  beautiful  butterfly  is 
evolved  from  the  most  hideous  worm. 
It  is,  therefore,  neither  unreasonable 
nor  unscientific  to  believe  that  this 
spiritual  body  may  be  so  attenuated 
that  the  laws  of  inertia  may  not  affect 
it.  The  inertia  of  matter  diminishes  as 
its  density  diminishes  ;  thought  is  with- 
out inertia.  In  imagination  I  go  to  the 
moon  ;  I  step  from  mountain  range  to 
mountain  range ;  I  descend  into  the 
deepest  crater,  and  ride  the  stream  of 
lava  as  it  belches  forth  and  flows  down 
the  mountain  side.  I  go  to  the  planet 
Saturn,  and  accompany  its  moons  in 
their  rapid  revolutions  ;  I  walk  its  rings, 
I  explore  its  mountains  and  find  the 
sources  of  its  rivers.  I  am  at  Alcyone, 
the  grand  center  of  our  stellar  system, 
and  contemplate  the  harmony  of  the 
millions  of  suns  and  their  planetary 
systems.  I  am  at  that  magnificent  con- 
stellation,  Orion,  and  explore  it  in   its 


j^.  N/.VN  AliSiiLVHD. 

minutest  details  :  all  without  the  viola- 
tion ot"  natural  hiw.  if  llie  ethereal  Ijody 
is  suhiciently  attenuated  to  l)e  li!)erated 
fi'om  the  thralldom  of  inertia. 

•'  AVhile  it  is  true  that  the  gospels,  the 
epistles  and  the  Acts  portray  Jesus  not  as 
(iod,  but  as  a  being  whom  we,  in  our  less 
imaginative,  less  dreamy  and  more  clear 
thinking,  find  some  dithculty  in  ahvays 
putting  in  the  category  of  man.  but  he 
is  never  I'epresented  as  God.  vllim 
hath  (iod  ordained:  him  hath  (iod  sent 
forth:  him  hath  (iod  raised  up,'  Paul 
says  there  is  one  (xod,  and  one  mediator 
between  (iod  and  man,  the  nun/  Christ, 
Jesus.  The  old  passage  in  I  John, 
'There  are  three  that  bear  witness  in 
heaven,  the  Father,  the  Word  and  the 
Holy  (ihost,  and  these  three  are  one,'  is 
an  interpolation,  and  ought  to  be  re- 
jected as  spurious.'^ 

"  Mr.  Chaplain,  there  is  probably  noth- 
ing in  the  whole  Bible  that  sheds  such  a 


*  The  revised  version  omits  it. 


Tl'.lK.   RKLKiKiX  AXD  [.OVE. 


75 


flood  of  light  on  the  deity  of  Jesus,  as 
the  Epistle  of  James.  James  was  no 
doal)t  the  brother  of  Jesus,  brought  up 
in  the  same  house,  and  tlir^re  is  not  even 
a  Innt  in  the  epistle  that  Jesas  iras  God. 
A  fact  of  such  transcendant  importance, 
the  most  important  in  all  the  history/  of 
the  world,  ivonld  not  havf^  heeri  left  out  if 
the  facts  had  justified  it. 

''  Herodotus  tells  us  that  the  Egyptians 
believed  their  god,  Osiris,  had  incarnated 
himself  in  the  human  form,  and  dwelt 
among  men. 

"  The  Chinese  believe  that  Lao-tse  ex- 
isted from  all  eternit}",  but  descended  to 
earth,  was  born  of  a  virgin,  lived  a  human 
life  and  at  death  ascended  to  heaven. 
Brahmanism  is  full  of  the  incarnation 
idea.  Vishnu  is  believed  to  have  been 
incarnated  nine  times.  Buddha  was  an 
incarnation  of  God.  In  the  Cxreek  and 
Koman  world,  too,  in  the  midst  of  which 
Christianity  had  its  birth,  and  early  de- 
velopment, we  find  essentially  the  same 


76  N/.vs  AissiiL}h:h. 

thoiiii-lit  evei'ywherc.  The  theological 
lore  of  the  East  had  ohtainetl  a  foothold  in 
Palestine  l)efore  'lesns'  teachings  began. 
The  minds  <d'  the  i)e()))le  wei'e  full  of  the 
belief  in  gods  in  the  form  of  men.  and 
also  of  men  deiiied.  or  raised  to  the  con- 
dition of  gods.  All  of  the  Koman  em- 
perors. I'or  a  period  of  time.  Avere  raised 
to  divine  honors,  Sentonius  infoi*ms  ns 
that  the  peo|)le  fully  believed  in  the  di- 
vinity of  Julius  ( 'a'sar.  Marcns  Anrel- 
ius  was  still  Avorshiped  in  the  time  of 
Diocletian.  Antonins  was  adored  in 
Egyi)t  a  century  after  his  death.  From 
Cirsar  to  Constantine,  sixty  persons  in 
all  were  deified.  Constantine  was  donbly 
deiiied  ;  he  was  apotheosized  l)v  the  pa- 
gans, and  canonized  l\y  the  Christians, 
and  coins  were  stamped  having  on  them 
a  monogram  signifying  Jesns,  Mary  and 
Constantine.  The  permanent  crystal- 
lization of  these  legends  and  dogmas  has 
ossified  tlie  religious  spirit  of  Christian- 
ity.    Its  ethical  spirit  is  that  which  it  has 


ir.l/i'.   UElAdltiX  AXn  LitVE.  'J'J 

in  common  with  other  sacred  religions. 
And  if  its  dogmas  are  properly  recog- 
nized as  symbolical  they  are  beautiful 
and  true,  bat  if  taken  in  their  literal 
meaning  they  commit  us  to  irrational  ab- 
surdities. An}^  man  who  believes  the 
letter  of  a  myth,  or  a  dogma,  or  a  relig- 
ious allegory  is  a  pagan,  and  Christian 
paganism  is  not  less  absurd  than  any 
other  paganism.'' 

"Well,  General,  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
reply  to  you  to-day  ;  there  is  not  time,  as 
the  dinner  hour  is  approaching,  but  shall 
we  not  have  a  season  of  prayer  before 

I  gor 

'' Xo,  Chaplain,  I  do  not  believe  it  the 
time  or  place  for  prayers.  While  I  have 
permitted  a  few  seasons  of  prayer  here, 
I  will  not  do  so  again.  Your  prayers 
are  not  as  broad  as  humanity  ;  they  ap- 
pear to  me  to  be  needlessly  sectional, 
and  prayers  have  as  little  effect  in  the 
recover}^  of  the  wounded  as  they  do  in 
battle,  and  experience  has  taught  us  that 


7<S  N/.v.N  .insdi.M:!). 

Napoleon  Avas  riulit  when  he  said,  '(mxI 
was  on  tlie  side  of  tiie  best  iiifaiitrv  and 
the  heaviest  ai'tinery,"  In  that  statement 
^^Tapoleon  sliowed  no  disres])ect  for 
prayer,  any  more  than  did  Pi-oIVssor 
TyndalTs  prayer  i^'an^'e  in  his  IJelfast 
lecture.  Xeither  one  of  them  intemled 
to  crush  the  spii'it  of  devotion  that  wells 
up  in  every  human  heart,  hut  to  show  the 
absurdity  of  askim;"  foi-  anything-  in  vio- 
lation of  the  laws  of  mattei'.  L>(»  not 
misunderstand  me.  I  have  })rofound  re- 
spect for  jn'ayer.  I  often  pray,  and  I  am 
always  helped  and  strengthened  h\  it, 
but  I  have  never  derived  any  percept- 
ible help  from  j)ublic  jirayers.  I  })ray  as 
my  mother  and  Jesus  did.  in  secret."" 

"  Of  course  }()u  pray  to  our  Lord 
Jesus."" 

*•  i^o.  I  never  [)ray  to  Jesus.  I  would  as 
leave  pray  to  Buddha,  from  whom  Jesus 
learned  much  of  his  teaching.  I  pray  to 
(xod  to  enable  me  to  live  like  Jesus.  I 
suppose  I  am  selfish  in  my  prayers,  for 


WAR.  HKLKiKJN  AND  LOVE.  79 

I  rarely  talve  anyone  to  God  but  myself, 
and  I  never  make  snggestions  to  Ilim."' 
After  the  chaplain  was  gone,  a  Con- 
federate colonel,  who  occupied  the  cot 
on  the  other  side  of  the  aisle,  said : 
"  General,  I  have  been  deeply  interested 
in  your  conversation.  I  wish  to  thank 
you,  and  I  hope  such  feasts  will  come 
often.  I  have  not  given  the  teaching  of 
the  Bible  careful  study  as  you  have,  but 
I  have  thought  a  little  along  that  line, 
and  I  have  been  even  more  surprised  at 
the  prayers  of  the  chaplain  of  my  regi- 
ment than  at  yours.  How  God  is  able 
to  answer  prayers  on  both  the  Union  and 
the  Confederate  side  I  can't  understand, 
any  more  than  I  can  comprehend  how 
God  is  able  to  give  favorable  winds  at 
the  same  time  to  two  vessels  at  sea  go- 
ing in  opposite  directions.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  day  on  which  we  were  both 
wounded,  my  chaplain  requested  prayers. 
In  his  prayer  he  said  :  '  This  Godless  and 
lawless  mob  from  the  north,  more  vile  in 


So  ■'>''-VS  AliSilLVED. 

every  way  tli;m  tlie  (roths  and  Vandals 
who  swept  down  npon  and  destroyed 
Iiome.  must  be  treated  as  enemies  of  God 
and  man.  They  have  erossed  our  sacred 
thresliolds  and  are  si)readino-  desolation 
over  our  fair  land.  They  nuist  fall  by 
th.e  sword,  and  (t(k1  will  help  yon  bring 
upon  each  and  all  of  them  just  retrilnt- 
tion.  S})are'them  not,  an  angry  God  will 
support  you  in  the  Ijloody  work  of  anni- 
hilation." I  did  not  think  much  about  it 
then,  Init  it  shocks  me  to  think  of  it  now, 
for  von  ap|)ear  to  me  like  a  younger 
brother,  and  I  would  not  only  not  shed 
a  drop  of  yoiu'  Idood,  but  I  wonld  stand 
between  you  and  hai-m  at  the  peril  of  my 
life.*' 


CHAPTER  Y. 

HAPPY  IX  THE  MIDST  OF  SOEROAV. 

"  Well,  Dick,"  said  Wallace,  '•  I  have 
never  known  3'On  quiet  so  long  at  one 
time  before ;  are  you  sick  or  are  you 
thinking  of  something  important'?" 

'"I  am  well.  General,  and  I  have  been 
thinking  of  your  theological  discussion. 
I  think  the  subject  a  very  important  one, 
but  very  unin^portant  what  I  think  about 
it.  I  have  been  much  more  pleased  with 
your  scientific  and  philosophical  discus- 
sion of  the  ethics  of  Christianity  than  I 
am  with  the  whiz  of  minie  balls.  I  am 
pretty  well  satisfied  with  my  surround- 
ings, and  I  am  not  in  a  hurry  to  leave 
this  hospital.  Of  course,  I  know  my 
good  grub  and  nice  quarters  are  because 
I  am  your  orderly,  and  I  am  grateful  to 
you  for  both." 


82  .S/-\S  AliSdLVi:]!. 

''Xo.  Dick,  we  cannot  remain  here 
ninch  more  tlian  a  few  days  ]on,L;"er.  My 
leg  i>  almost  well,  your  commission  as 
major  came  yesterday  and  you  must  l^e 
mustered  to-morrow.  We  shall  l)e  in 
the  front  in  a  few  days.  ]>ut.  Diclc.  did 
you  hear  what  was  said  on  the  subject 
of  i)rayer  ?  " 

*'Yes,  (xeneral.  and  T  was  especiall}^ 
interested  while  that  subject  was  under 
consideration.  ]  never  thought  much 
about  who  I  jtrayed  to,  or  what  I  ])rayed 
for;  I  just  i)rayed,  and  I  always  felt 
better ;  that  was  all  I  knew  about  it.  I 
sn])pose  I  am  awfully  selfish  and  narrow 
in  my  prayers  ;  although  I  pray  every 
day,  I  onh'  remeud)ei-  to  have  prayed 
for  myself  and  one  other  person  since  I 
came  into  the  army." 

"  AVell.  Dick,  I  am  curious  to  know 
who  that  person  was." 

''  Well,  General,  as  you  ask,  of  course 
I  must  tell  you,  and  if  I  have  done 
wrono-  I  will  not  do  so  again.     General, 


WAR,  RHLKilOX  AXD  LOVE.  83 

3"on  have  been  everything  to  nie  since  I 
came  to  your  regiment ;  I  said  to  you 
once  before,  no  one  noticed  me  but  you. 
Without  your  kindness  to  me  and  my 
daily  prayers  I  could  not  have  lived, 
and  more  than  that,  your  high  ideas  of 
right  and  your  fearless  and  uns>yerving 
adherence  to  your  exalted  ethics  has 
strengthened  me  day  by  day,  and  as  I 
was  not  able  to  return  to  you  anything 
for  so  many  kindnesses  and  favors,  I 
could  only  remember  you  in  my  prayers, 
and  I  always  ask  God  to  bless  and  pro- 
tect you.-' 

"  Dick,  come  and  sit  near  me  and  give 
me  your  hand.  Why,  it  is  as  soft  and 
plump  as  a  girl's.  I  thank  3^ou  with  all 
my  soul.  One  of  your  prayers  more 
than  pays  for  all  I  ever  did  for  you. 
Your  prayers  go  straight  to  God  and 
carry  with  them  a  benediction.  But, 
Dick,  have  you  really  been  happy  dur- 
ing the  two  months  we  have  been  here, 
surrounded  by  the  suftering  in  this  hos- 


pital  ?  I'he  lii'oaiis  of  the  suti'ei'ing  ami 
the  dying,  and  the  pitiful  hjoking  fur 
letters  from  home  and  the  tearful  disap- 
pointments, has  often  moved  me  to 
tears." 

'■  A  es.  (ieneral.  ii(,)twithstanding  all, 
1  have  lieen  eomparatively  ha])py.  I 
sometimes  think  it  is  wicked  to  I'eel  so. 
l)ut  it  is  true.  I  have  been  with  you  all 
of  the  time  exce})t  when  1  was  writing 
letters  for  some  one  to  their  friends  and 
loved  ones  at  home,  I  have  dressed 
your  leg  every  day.  and  you  never 
scolded  me.  not  en-,/  once,  and  you 
almost  every  time  said,  'thank  you. 
Dick,'  so  kindly  that  I  almost  forgot 
my  surroundings.  1  have  had  a  good 
room,  and,  as  you  know,  have  had  my 
meals  at  the  officers'  table.  My  heart 
has  been  almost  broken  every  day,  but 
1  have  enjoyed  writing  letters  for  the 
poor  boys.  The  death  of  that  Confed- 
erate nuijor  yesterday  was  deeply 
affecting.      The    captain    of    the    same 


WAR.  UKLIGJoy  ASD  LOVE 


regiment,  Avho  occupied  the  next  cot  to 
his,  tokl  me  that  the  major  was  affianced 
to  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  south- 
ern lady,  whose  name  was  Helen,  and 
they  were  to  have  been  married  in  a  few 
months,  and  that  she  died  a  few  days 
before  the  batile.  It  was  believed  that 
her  death  was  the  cause  of  his  needless 
recklessness  on  the  battle-field.  He 
sulfered  intensely  from  the  wound  in 
his  spine,  and  was  delirious  a  large  part 
of  the  time.  Even  when  almost  Avrith- 
ing  in  agony,  he  often  urged  me  to 
write  to  Helen  ;  when  I  asked  for  her 
address  he  said,  '  She  is  in  heaven ; 
write  to  her  quickly  and  I  will  take  the 
letter  to  her.'  When  the  icy  fingers  of 
the  grim  monster  were  upon  him,  in  his 
delirium  he  seemed  to  see  her  near  him, 
and  he  exclaimed,  '  O,  Helen,  I  am  so 
glad  you  are  here !  '  He  extended  both 
arms,  embraced  some  imaginary  object 
and  pressed  his  arms  firmly  to  his 
breast,  a   smile   of  peace   and    serenity 


86  N/.YN  Al',S(,Lyh:D. 

eanie  oxer  his  face  and  his  soul  left  the 
bcxly  with  Helen  in  his  arms.  I  know, 
General,  of  the  \?>'l  who  were  in  this 
ward  after  the  ])attie,  only  twenty-three 
now  remain  ;  the}  are  gone,  not  to  their 
regiment  for  duty,  nor  to  loved  ones 
longing  for  th.eir  return  at  home,  but  to 
a  home  in  hea\en,  and  their  remains 
now  lie  in  that  hallow^ed  s|>ot  in  the  rear 
of  the  hospital.  I  walk  among  the 
newly  made  mounds  every  day,  and  the 
saddest  thouiiht  su<>-i'-ested  to  mv  mind 
is  by  that  word,  •  unknown."  written  in 
chalk  or  kale  on  a  board  standing  at  the 
head  of  the  mounds.  But  the  thought 
comforts  me  that  that  word,  •  unknown," 
is  only  of  earth,  and  that  it  does  not 
reach  to  heaven,  and  that  there  is  to  be 
in  the  sweet  bye-and-l)ye  a  reunion  of 
loved  ones.  Such  sadness  will  not  be 
permitted  to  exist  forever  in  God's  do- 
main, will  it.  General  ?  " 

"  Xo,  I  believe  you  are  right,  Dick ; 
though  the  mysteries  of  life  and  death 


TT'.IK.  BEIAGION  AND  LOVE.  Sj 

bewilder  and  sometimes  appall  me,  I 
cannot  think  at  the  end  of  the  great 
sweep  of  God's  plans  there  will  be 
unhappiness  anywhere.  All  suffering  is 
for  a  purpose,  and  is  reformatory  when 
viewed  from  the  throne  of  God.  It 
will  not  be  eternal.  All  we  can  do  is 
to  reverently  bow  in  willing  submission 
to  the  demands  of  the  unknown.  It 
requires  three  hundred  and  fifty  millions 
of  years  for  our  solar  sj^stem  to  com- 
plete a  revolution  around  its  grand 
center  iu  the  Pleiades,  and  it  may  re- 
quire a  longer  time  to  fully  develop  a 
human  soul.  But,  Dick  —  no,  I  must 
say  Major  now  —  I  believe  that  a  right 
life  in  this  world  ought  not  to  have  any 
dependence  upon  our  belief  in  a  contin- 
uation of  life  elsewhere.  Virtue  ought 
to  be,  and  is,  its  own  reward.  The 
origin  of  man  on  the  earth  is  shrouded 
in  thick  darkness,  and  on  his  final  des- 
tiny there  are  but  feeble  rays  of  light, 
and  even  if  it  be  true,  as  some  scientists 


88  S/.YN  ABSnLVKD. 

l)e]ie\L',  that  the  physical  organism 
through  which  life  is  manifested  is 
returned  to  the  material  universe  at 
deatli.  never  again  to  be  recognized, 
and  if  all  the  forces  of  the  mind  and 
soul  are  re-al»sorbed  1)v  the  genei'al 
store  of  force,  never  again  to  exist  as 
an  entity,  it  is  still  a  fact  that  there 
exists  a  deep  and  abiding  sentimental- 
ism  in  the  strongest  man  :  the  recollec- 
tion of  mother,  sweetheai't  and  wife 
|)i'oduce  an  ecstasy  of  feeling  and  love 
for  the  right,  beautiful  and  good  to 
which  all  other  influences  and  forces 
are  secondary.  In  my  gloomy  and 
despondent  moments,  I  s})eculate  that 
all  mental  force  is  derived  from  and 
co-related  with  the  inorganic  forces, 
and  must  share  the  fate  of  all  else  in 
nature  —  eternal  change  without  annihila- 
tion—  which  in  all  its  manifestations, 
whether  in  organic  or  inorganic  nature, 
even  in  the  highest  realm  of  thought, 
obeys  the  laAv  of  equilibrium  of  matter 


^rAR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  89 

and  force.  The  same  force  that  wells 
up  in  a  man  as  consciousness  is  seen  in 
the  gentle  rivulet  as  it  flows  onward 
toward  the  ocean,  and  in  the  rushing 
torrent;  in  the  ocean  waves  as  they 
dash  against  the  rock-girt  shore ;  in 
the  gentle  breeze,  in  the  trade  winds, 
and  in  the  incalculable  force  of  the 
cyclone  and  in  the  lightning  flash. 
Even  if  that  be  true,  man's  intellectual 
and  moral  hon^  ought  to  be  far  up 
among  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  purity, 
honor  and  culture,  so  that  all  will  ex- 
claim, '  £Jcce  Homo .' ""' 

"Well,  Dick,  there  comes  our  com- 
mander, the  general  who  brevetted  us 
on  the  battle-field." 

"  Good-morning,  General  Wallace  ;  I 
am  glad  to  find  you  out  of  bed  ;  how 
are  you?  " 

"Thank  you.  General,  I  am  almost  well. 
My  wound  is  healed,  and  the  bone  is 
quite  strong.  I  yet  have  a  little  pain 
when  I  walk,  but  I  will  be  ready  for  duty 


go  S/.YS  ABSOLVE] I. 

in  a  few  days.  General,  do  you  remem- 
ber my  orderly.  Dick  Dale,  whom  you 
l)revetted  major  for  li-allantry  in  action? 
—  his  commission  has  arrived  and  he  is  a 
fully  developed  major  now."" 

••  Yes.  Major.  I  remember  you  well,  and 
I  will  not  soon  foru'et  your  girlish  face. 
I  am  glad  to  see  you.  as  I  am  always 
glad  to  see  soldiers  of  courage  and  dash  in 
action.  You  merited  your  promotion 
and  you  will  not  stop  j^vith  the  rank  of 
major."" 

The  major  blushed  like  a  girl  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  compliment. 

"  But,  Wallace."*  said  the  General,  "I 
see  that  hole  in  your  pant  leg  has  not 
healed,  if  the  hole  in  your  leg  has."" 

"Xo,  General,  it  has  not,  and  the  sur- 
geon would  not  let  me  go  to  the  tailor 
to  have  my  measure  for  another  pair,  so 
that  this  is  the  best,  and  all,  I  can  do  at 
present." 

'■  Don't  apologize,"  said  the  general, 
"  for  that  rent  in  your  pant  leg  ;  you  have 


WAR.  RELIGKiX  AXD  LOVK. 


91 


no  cause  to  feel  ashamed  of  it,  I  saw 
you  when  it  was  made  ;  your  face  was  to 
the  foe  and  the  bullet  entered  from  the 
front  and  at  short  range.  That's  a  souv- 
enir of  the  battle  of  Pittsburg-  Landing-. 
"•  Well,  General  Wallace,  you  have 
been  housed  up  for  more  than  two  months 
in  this  hospital,  and  Avhile  I  suppose  you 
have  read  evervthino-  to  be  fonnd  in  the 
papers  you  could  get  hold  of,  and  as  I 
have  not  found  time  to  come  and  see 
you,  you  cannot  knoAV  the  contemplated 
movement  in  the  near  future,  for  the  ob- 
vious reason,  that  we  keep  the  real  ones 
out  of  the  papers  if  possible.  The  Union 
and  the  Confederate  generals  observe 
the  Xapoleonic  tactics  of  trying  to  make 
the  other  fellow  believe  he  is  going  to 
do  just  what  he  does  not  intend  to  do. 
We  are  sure,  however,  that  the  Confed- 
erate forces  are  concentrating  at  a  point 
about  forty  miles  beyond  our  late  battle- 
field. There  is  a  movement  on  foot,  in 
the   air,  which    when   perfected,    and  if 


92  S/.VN  AIISOLVHD. 

successful,  will  give  it  a  place  iu  history 
as  graud  sti-ategy  ;  it  does  not  fall 
below  gigantic  iu  coutemj)latiou.  The 
enemy  iu  our  front  hold  an  important 
line  to  the  south,  between  the  extreme 
east  and  the  west,  and  they  must  not  be 
given  sufficient  time  to  perfect  their  en- 
trenchment, so  as  to  defy  our  jirogress 
south  through  the  center  of  the  Confed- 
eracy. They  must  be  dislodged  at  an 
early  date.  A  matter  of  almost  vital 
impoi'tance  is  that  the  Mississippi  River 
be  opened  so  that  we  can  communicate 
with  the  (xulf.  All  of  the  force  not 
needed  here  are  to  be  sent  to  the  west, 
and  you  are  to  command  a  divison,  and 
for  the  present  to  remain  with  the  army 
moving  south  through  the  center  of  the 
Confederate  States.  As  soon  as  you  are 
able  I  want  you  to  come  to  the  front  and 
get  acquainted  Avith  3'our  division.  You 
will  be  delighted  to  know  that  your  old 
brigade  is  in.  and  forms  the  center  of 
the  division.'" 


WAR.  RKLKUOX  ASD  LOVE.  93 

''  General,""  said  AYallace,  ''I  am  ready 
now.  I  can  start  in  an  hour.  What 
disposition  do  yon  wish  to  make  of 
Major  Dale?"' 

"  I  leave  that  matter  wholly  to  you  ; 
you  know  him  better  than  I  do.  Give 
him  the  position  best  suited  to  his 
ability,  and  what  will  best  subserve  the 
country "s  needs.  My  judgment  is,  how- 
ever, that  he  would  be  invaluable  on 
your  staff.  There  is  nothing  he  will 
not  do  that  can  be  accomplished  by 
man.'" 

•'Well,  Dick,""  said  Wallace  a  little 
later,  "  I  have  glorious  news  for  you.  I 
have  been  given  the  command  of  a  divis- 
ion, and  I  intend  to  make  it  a  corps  in 
the  next  battle,  and  I  have  also  been 
authorized  to  assign  you  to  whatever 
duty  I  wish.  You  will  be  on  my  staff, 
with  the  rank  of  major,  and  I  trust  after 
the  next  engagement  it  will  be  colonek 
We  are  needed  at  the  front  now.  How 
soon  can  3'ou  be  ready  to  start?" 


94  s/.vs  AiiS(ii,\h:ii. 

'•I  am  ready  now."  saicl  I)alo  ;  ''after 
all  I  like  the  smell  of  jjowder  as  well  as 
I  do  the  odor  of  the  hospital." 

When  (ieneral  W'allaee  an-ived  at 
camp,  the  division  was  in  line.  Every 
soldier  recoi^-nized  him  on  sight,  and  they 
knew  he  was  to  he  their  commander. 
His  old  brigade  was  in  the  center.  As 
he  a]>j)roatdied  and  I'ode  the  length  of 
the  line  with  the  corps  commander,  who 
introduced  him  as  ''(renei-al  Wallace, 
your  commander."  the  wildest  enthusi- 
asm jn-evailed.  and  the  recej)tion  given 
him  was  as  c«)rdial  and  enthusiastic  as 
would  have  been  given  to  Napoleon  by 
his  Old  (jTuard.  after  an  absence  of  three 
months.  From  all  along  the  line  came 
cheer  after  cheer,  and  shouts  of  "  Long 
live  (General  Wallace  I"  One  enthusiastic 
soldier  froui  Iowa,  with  moi-e  zeal  than  ele- 
gance in  language,  Avhose  voice  rose 
above  the  tumult,  shouted :  "  We  can 
storm  hell  and  Gibraltar  before  breakfast 
with  General  Wallace  as  our  leader  I 


Tr.lZ?.  RELlGIoy  AXD  LOVE.  95 

The  general  rode  back  to  the  center 
of  the  line,  removed  his  hat,  and  said  : 
"  Comrades,  I  thank  you  for  this  mani- 
festation of  friendship  and  confidence. 
It  shall  be  my  constant  endeavor  to  live 
worthy  of  a  continuation  of  it."" 

In  a  few  days  marching  orders  were 
received,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  third 
day  they  were  in  line  of  battle,  with  a 
strong  picket  line  thrown  out  in  fi'ont  of  a 
strong  Confederate  force, commanded  by 
an  able  and  intrepid  Confederate  generaL 

General  WaUace,  at  a  late  hour  in  the 
night,  walked  the  entire  length  of  the 
picket  line.  All  of  the  pickets  were 
walking  their  lonely  beats,  except  one, 
who  was  asleep,  and  his  gun  lying  by  his 
side.  The  general  took  his  gun  and 
walked  his  beat  until  he  waked.  He 
recognized  the  general  at  once  and  was 
badly  frightened.  "  General,''  said  he, 
"  I  know  I  will  be  court-martialed  and 
shot  and  I  deserve  it,  for  I  know  the 
danger  we  are  in.     I  am  not  afraid  to  die 


96  >"/.^'>'  ABSOJ.VRD. 

on  the  battle-field,  Init  to  be  shot  for  neg- 
lect of  duty  will  briiiii'  awful  soitow  to  my 
poor  old  father,  aud  disgrace  upon  me." 

The  general  handed  him  his  gun  and 
said,  •'  Don't  worry.  Of  course  you  did 
a  great  wrong ;  not  only  your  own  life, 
but  the  whole  army  was  in  danger  of  a 
surprise  011  account  of  this  post  being 
vacant,  but  you  had  made  a  long,  hard 
march,  and  you  were  very  tired.  I  will 
excuse  you  this  time  and  will  not  report 
you.      Vou  will  not  do  so  again."" 

At  da^dight  the  whole  line  was  ad- 
vanced, and  before  8  o'clock  the  battle 
was  on.  ( reneral  Wallace's  division  held 
the  center  of  the  line,  and  his  old  brigade 
the  center  of  the  division.  He  rode  from 
one  end  of  the  division  to  the  other  every 
few  minutes,  and  his  horse  was  never 
twenty  feet  in  the  rear  of  the  line,  dur- 
during  the  entire  battle.  At  one  time, 
during  the  fiercest  part  of  the  engage- 
ment, three  Confederate  batteries  were 
hurried  into  position  directly  in  his  front. 


]VAR.  RKLIGKJX  AXD  LOVE.  97 

supported  by  three  lines  of  infantry,  for 
the  obvious  purpose  of  breaking-  the 
center  of  the  Union  line.  Wallace 
strengthened  the  line  in  the  center,  and 
they  moved  forward  \yith  the  steadiness 
of  veterans,  and  never  wavered  or  fal- 
tered. After  four  hours'  hard  and  con- 
tinuous fighting,  which  was  little  less 
than  one  continuous  charge,  the  Con- 
federate forces  were  routed  and  fled  in 
every  direction  and  the  victory  was  won, 
but  the  dead  and  dying  attested  the 
valor  of  the  Confederate  soldiers. 

Major  Dale  had  not  a[)peared  so  happy 
since  he  entered  the  service,  as  on  that 
day.  He  rode  from  the  general  to  any 
and  every  part  of  the  line  in  an  instant. 
His  face  wore  a  smile,  even  when  the 
three  batteries  were  belching  forth  grape 
and  cannister  on  the  center  of  the  line, 
and  in  a  hail-storm  of  minie  balls,  his 
smiling  face  was  everywhere  to  be  seen. 
He  was  nicknamed  the  "  Smiling  Major," 
and  was  ever  after  known  by  that  name. 


CIIAPTEK  yi. 

r  N  W  i;  ITT  EX   1 1 1 STOJ  t  Y. 

Duriny  the  next  year  and  a  half,  up  to 
tlie  beginning-  of  the  most  remarkable 
campaign  in  the  history  of  wars,  ancient 
or  modern,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  Napoleon's  retreat  from  Moscow,  if 
tliat  disastrous  retreat  can  l)e  called  a 
campaign,  the  same  scenes  were  enacted 
on  four  otlier  bloody  battle-lields.  At 
no  time  in  the  military  life  of  Wallace, 
as  major,  as  colonel  or  as  general,  did 
the  men  under  him  fail  to  accomplish  all 
he,  as  their  commandei',  asked  them  to 
do,  except  in  one  instance.  He  was 
always  with  his  men  ;  his  headquarters 
were  in  the  saddle  in  every  engagement, 
within  speaking  distance  of  the  line  of 
battle,  lie  was  a  firm  believer  that  sol- 
diers would  always  do  their  duty  if  their 
commander  did  his,  and  it  is  known  that 
98 


WAR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  99 

during  his  military  life  he  never  showed 
the  slightest  temper,  except  when  he  saw 
a  brigade,  division,  or  corps  commander 
establish  his  headquarters  far  behind  the 
line  of  battle  in  a  place  of  little  danger. 
Before  the  commencement  of  the  mem- 
orable campaign  before  referred  to, 
which  begun  on  the  fourth  day  of  May, 
1864,  he  had  been  twice  brevetted  gen- 
eral and  Major  Dale  had  been  brevetted 
colonel. 

There  are  soldiers  now  living  in  Iowa 
who  know  the  facts,  and  future  and  im- 
partial history  Avill  develop  them.  It  is 
a  historic  fact  that  early  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign  General  Sherman  directed 
McPherson  to  pass  through  Snake  Creek 
Gap  and  strike  the  railroad  in  the  rear 
of  Resaca,  which  was  then  strongly  for- 
tified by  Confederate  forces,  commanded 
by  the  able  and  intrepid  General  John- 
son, whose  force  was  at  that  time,  and 
continued  to  be  during  the  entire  cam- 
paign, nearly  one-third  less  than  Slier- 


S/.VN  jnSdLVKI). 


man's.  It  is  also  a  historical  fact  that 
though  ^NlcPherson  was  Sherman's  favor- 
ite general,  he  was  at  least  mildly  criti- 
cised by  Sherman  and  others  in  the  army 
for  not  doing-  that  Avhich  appeared  pos- 
sil)le  and  very  desira1)le.  The  inevitable 
consequences  of  that  movement,  which 
would  have  gone  into  history  as  grand 
strategy  if  it  had  l)een  successful,  would 
have  been  to  have  seriously  crippled 
fjohnson,  if  not  have  ended  the  cam- 
paign at  once.  The  roads  from  Kesaca 
to  Atlanta  were  almost  impassable  from 
heavy  rains,  and  if  transportation  over 
the  railroad  had  lieen  cut  off  disaster  to 
Johnson  and  his  army  was  at  hand.  The 
author  was  in  the  army  and  jjassed 
through  Snake  ( 'reek  Gap  among  the 
first  of  the  forces  and  he  believed  then, 
and  long  rejections  since,  and  a  careful 
analysis  of  all  ascertainable  facts, — the 
relative  size  of  the  Union  and  Confeder- 
ate armies  and  the  fact  that  Johnson  did 
not  anticipate  such  a  movement  by  Sher- 


WAR.  RELIGION  AND  LoVK.  lOI 

man,  there  being  almost  no  Confederate 
force  at  that  point, — confirms  him  in  the 
belief  that  Sherman  did  not  ask  an  nn- 
reasonable  thing  from  McPherson.  Of 
conrse  if  something  had  been  done  that 
was  not  done,  the  results  of  that  some- 
thing cannot  be  known  definitely,  but 
the  logic  of  events  points  to  the  proba- 
bility of  the  attack  having  been  success- 
ful. 

The  unwritten  history  is,  that  on 
the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Kesaca,  while  there  was  heavy 
skirmish  firing  in  front  of  Resaca,  about 
two  or  three  miles  to  the  left  of  the 
point  of  which  I  am  speaking,  General 
McPherson,  General  Wallace  and  a  part 
of  their  stafl:'  rode  to  an  elevated  point 
from  which  could  be  seen  with  their 
glasses  the  tressel  bridge  on  the  railroad 
three  miles  south  of  Resaca,  and  while 
they  were  looking  a  heavy  freight  train 
passed  over  the  bridge  going  to  Kesaca. 
General  McPherson  saw  the  importance 


s/.VN  AnsdLvr.n. 


of  the  destruction  of  that  l)ridge,  l)iit  he 
was  uiulecided  as  to  what  to  do.  If  the 
attack  was  made  and  Johnson  should 
evacuate  liesaca  and  throw  his  whole 
army  on  the  Union  forces  about  the 
l^ridge  it  would  be  crushed,  and  all  killed 
or  captured. 

General  McPherson  was  one  of  the 
best  generals  in  the  army,  and  his  usual 
custom  was  to  ride  out  to  the  front,  view 
the  surroundings  with  his  glass,  and  at 
once  determine  upon  his  plans  and 
promptly  give  his  ordei-s.  Never  before, 
nor  after,  up  to  the  memorable  22d  of 
July,  Avas  he  known  to  hesitate. 

Wallace  l)eing  a  subordinate  general, 
though  highly  esteemed  and  appreciated 
by  McPherson,  sat  quietly  on  his  horse 
waiting  for  orders.  After  a  silence  that 
appeared  painful  to  both,  Wallace  said  : 
'■  I  can  burn  that  bridge  in  half  an  hour, 
and  if  I  and  my  whole  division  die  in 
doing  it.  it  will  save  the  lives  of  many 
more  than  there  are  in  my  command." 


WAR.  RKLIGKlX  AXD  LOVE.  IQT, 

General  McPherson,  after  a  few  mo- 
ments, said:  "'I  believe  you  can  burn 
the  bridge,  the  small  force  now  guarding 
it  would  be  no  obstacle  for  your  divis- 
ion, but  we  can't  spare  you  and  your  di- 
vision. The  question  is,  have  we  the 
right  to  do  that  which  would  certainly 
imperil  all  your  lives  in  the  liope  of  ac- 
complishing even  so  important  an  object. 
Your  division  is  invincible  with  any  or- 
dinary force  in  their  front,  but  you 
could  not  withstand  the  shock  of  John- 
son's whole  army.  I  cannot  sacrifice 
you.  I  see  your  anxiety  ;  there  are  tears 
in  your  eyes,  and  I  regret  I  can't  give 
the  order.'' 

What  the  result  would  have  been  can 
only  be  speculated  upon,  beyond  the 
fact  tliat  the  bridge  would  have  been 
burned  if  the  order  had  been  given.  In 
speculating  upon  the  immediate  and  the 
remote  results  if  the  bridge  had  been 
burned,  several  circumstances  must  be 
taken  into  consideration.     General  Wal- 


I04  ■'^'/■'\'>-'  -inSOLVKD. 

lace'?^  command  iij)  to  that  time  liad 
never  failed  to  accomplish  all  of  what- 
ever they  had  undertaken.  They  had 
nnbounded  confidence  in  his  sagacity 
and  g'eneralshij).  as  well  as  in  his  cour- 
age. Johnson's  force  was  inferior  to 
Sherman's  and  was  then  engaged  with 
Sherman  at  Kesaca  ;  that  Johnson  would 
have  evacuated  liesaca  and  hurled  his 
whole  force  ujjon  Wallace  to  protect  his 
rear,  there  is  scarcely  the  shadow  of  a 
douln.  McPherson's  three  corps  were 
within  easy  reach,  and  at  the  first  gun 
would  have  been  thrown  with  destructi^'e 
force  on  the  Confederate  flank,  and  when 
the  roar  of  the  musketry  and  cannonading 
was  heard  at  the  bridge,  Sherman  would 
have  hurried  the  Union  army  through 
Kesaca  and  attacked  Johnson  in  the 
rear.  Even  if  Johnson  had  crushed 
Wallace  and  killed  or  captured  his  en- 
tire command  the  hridge  loovld  liavc  been 
gone,  and  it  would  have  been  absolutely 
impossible  for  Johnson  to   have   taken 


WAR.  RKLKlloy  AXD  LOVE.  105 

his  wag'OB  train  and  his  heavy  ordnance 
over  any  other  road  than  the  one  leading 
south  along  the  raih'oad.  The  in e vita- 
hie  result  would  have  heen  to  seriously 
eripi)le  Johnson,  with  the  prohable  result 
of  eai)turing  a  large  ])art  of  the  Confed- 
erate force  under  him.  It  is  highly  prob- 
able that  even  a  complete  success  of  the 
Union  force  at  the  bridge  would  not 
have  ended  the  campaign  at  that  point, 
but  it  would  not  have  been,  as  it  was,  a 
battle  that  lasted  one  hundred  and  twenty 
days,  and  a  battle-field  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  long.  That  desperate,  im- 
proper and  disastrous  charge  on  the 
Confederate  works  about  Kenesaw,  in 
which  Sherman  admits  he  lost  a  thou- 
sand a  minute  for  ten  consecutive  min- 
utes in  killed,  would  never  have  been 
made.  The  criticism  of  that  charge  is 
not  made  without  foundation,  for  what 
was  done  after  could  have  been  done  be- 
fore. Kenesaw  was  evacuated  when  it 
became   apparent   to  Johnson   that   the 

8 


I06  >>'/.^>;  AISSdl.VHli. 

railroad  in  his  I'ear  was  in  dang-er.  The 
same  tiling  was  done  at  .Vtlanta.  when 
Sherman's  movement  on  '}onesl)oro  was 
discovered. 

The  battle  ofJuly  1^2d  l)et*ore  Atlanta 
was  neither  desii'ed  nor  expected  by 
Sherman,  bnt  was  due  to  Hood's  want  of 
generalship. 

It  was  on  that  day  that  (General  Sher- 
man said:  ''Johnson  is  a  sensible  gen- 
eral, and  I  can  generally  know  what  he 
is  going  to  do,  but  Hood,  being  a  damned 
fool,  I  never  know  what  he  is  going  to 
do." 

I  had  a  rare  opportunity  on  the  2:^d  to 
observe  the  great  Sherman  during  the 
whole  of  the  battle,  rendered  especially 
memorable  by  the  death  of  McPherson. 
Ilis  headquarters  wei'e  at  the  How"ard 
house  all  day,  and  my  duty  also  kept  me 
at  or  near  the  general  from  early  morn- 
ing until  the  close  of  the  battle.  I  was 
at  leisure  most  of  the  time,  and  there 
was  not  ten   minutes  at  any   one   time 


WAR.  RELIGIOy  AyD  LOVE 


107 


-that  I  did  not  see  him.  Early  in  the 
morning,  between  seven  and  eight 
o'clock,  General  McPherson  rode  np  to 
the  Howard  hou«e.  Very  soon  John  A. 
Logan,  General  Wallace,  General  Dodge 
and  General  Blair  came.  Nothing  of 
importance  appeared  likely  to  happen. 
Picket  firing  in  onr  front  and  to  onr 
right  continued  as  usual,  to  which  no  at- 
tention was  paid ;  for  we  all  knew  our 
works  were  invulnerable  to  the  Confed- 
erate force  in  Atlanta.  About  half  past 
nine  Generals  Sherman,  Wallace,  Mc- 
Pherson and  Logan  were  sitting  on  the 
porch  and  Generals  Blair  and  Dodge 
were  standing  in  front  of  them  ;  they 
were  joking  and  laughing;  I  was  near 
enough  to  hear  every  word  spoken.  At 
this  time  quite  a  heavy  musketry  was 
heard  to  our  left,  at  a  point  where  there 
was  not  known  to  be  any  Confederate 
force.  The  generals  appeared  to  be  sur- 
prised. General  Sherman  said  :  "  What 
does  that  mean?  " 


loS 


s;.vs    I i!sni,vi:ii. 


(TeiuM'al  ^fcPhcrson  saiil  : 

••  1  will  tiiul  out."" 

lie  iiioiiiitod  Ills  li()i'>('  and  mdv  into 
the  woods  ill  the  direction  of  the  lii'inL^'. 
He  was  followed  hv  Lo^an,  Dodi^'e, 
IJlair  and  Wallace,  ami  in  half  an  hour 
the  i^-reat  hat  tie  of  Atlanta  was  on. 

The  hattle  I'a^'ed,  with  occasional  lulls, 
all  day.  The  thunder  of  th<>  artillery 
and  the  I'oll  of  the  inu-^keti'v  came  nearer 
and  then  receded,  auain  and  ai^'ain.  so 
that  the  awful  pi'ohlem  a»^  to  who  was  to 
l)e  victorious  was  not  sol\cd  until  late  in 
the  evenin_u;".  That  day  appearetl  to  me 
the  longest  day  of  my  life  ;  I  thouu'lit  of 
Welling'ton,  ''Oh.  for  IJlucduM  or  niu'ht  !  " 
and  of  the  sun  stamliim'stdl  I'nv  Jo-;hua. 
The  sun  a])peai'ed  to  he  standiuL;-  in  the 
lieavens.  Late  in  the  afteruoou  our 
lines  w'ere  temporarily  di'i\en  iKudv.  and 
the  outlook  was  that  the  Howard  house 
and  the  teinp(U"ai"y  hospital  would  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  Confederates.  We 
were  so  near  the  line  of  hattle  that  many 


Il.li,'.   Ill'.JJdloy  AMI  LOVE.  109 

stray  bullets  struck  the  house  and  fell 
among  the  wounded. 

General  Shei'inau's  great  soul  was 
tempest-tossed  all  day  aftei'  the  battle 
begun.  He  was  nervous  and  uneasy  ; 
he  walked  the  poi'ch  and  looked  toward 
the  battle-tield  with  an  expression  of 
awful  anxiety,  but  no  word  came  until 
the  body  of  ]McPherson  was  brought  in 
on  a  stretcher.  The  final  charge  was 
made  by  Wallace's  division,  and  it  was 
like  the  mad  I'ush  of  the  tempest,  as 
irresistible  as  the  cyclone. 

The  battle  of  the  28th  was  disastrous 
to  the  Confederate  army  foi-  the  same 
reason  that  the  charge  on  Kenesaw 
mountain  was  disastrous  to  the  Union 
arm}" — they  charged  ample  fortifications. 
The  3(5th  Alabama  regiment  lost  every 
field  and  line  officer,  and  more  than  two 
hundred  in  that  charge.  Sherman's 
subsequent  evacuation  of  all  the  works 
about  Atlanta  ;  his  movement  back  to 
the  Chattanooga  river ;  his  flank  move- 


S/AS  AliSoLVED. 


meiit  and  the  capture  of  Joiiesboro. 
ended  tlie  Atlanta  cain])ai<;n. 

The  Atlanta  cam])ai<j;-n  will  be  re- 
garded as  a  marvel  in  modern  warfare 
by  the  im])artial  historians  of  the  future. 
All  the  later  movements  ai-e  worthy  the 
name  of  grand  strategy  ;  he  succeeded 
in  wholly  misleading  the  Confederate 
generals  as  to  what  he  was  going  to  do. 

After  the  close  of  the  campaign  the 
entire  Union  army  had  a  few  weeks  of 
much  needed  rest.  Wallace's  command 
had  suifered  severely  at  Kesaca,  and  he 
had  lost  a  fourth  of  his  division  in  the 
charge  on  Ivenesaw,  and  his  loss  was 
heavy  in  the  battle  of  the  22d,  wdiich 
necessitated  rest  and  reorganization. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

HELL. 

A  few  days  after  the  regiment  had 
gone  into  camp  the  chaplain  retnrned  to 
his  post  of  duty.  His  time  for  the  last 
four  months  had  been  spent  in  the  hos- 
pitals caring  for  the  wounded.  He  had 
not  been  with  his  regiment  since  the  bat- 
tle of  Hesaca.  He  preached  a  sermon 
on  the  first  Sunday  after  his  arrival.  He 
sent  a  note  to  Cieneral  Wallace,  in 
which  he  said  :  ''  In  view  of  your  suc- 
cess in  the  campaign  just  closed,  and  of 
your  merited  promotion,  I  shall  feel 
myself  complimented  by  your  presence." 

The  genera]  acknowledged  the  receipt 
of  the  letter,  thanked  him  for  it,  and  said  : 
"  I  feel  under  deep  and  lasting  obliga- 
tions to  3^ou  for  the  care  you  have  taken 
of  those  who  were  dear  to  me.  I  have 
heard  of  your  devotion  to  duty,  of  your 


I  12  S7.YN  ABSfllA'Kl). 

sleople^^s  iii<4-hts,  of  your  care  to  tlie 
l)Oor  l)oys.  in  drussinii-  their  woiiiul;^, 
writing-  letter?,  for  tlieiii.  and  your 
fatliei'ly  kiii<lnes:s  in  ialkini;-  witli  tliein 
of  lionie  and  loved  one^.  It  will  ^'ive 
nie  })leasure  to  be  present  at  ser\iee 
next  Sunday." 

He  ])reached  fi'oni  the  text.  "As  in 
Adam  all  died,  so  in  Clirist  are  all  made 
alive." 

The  creation  of  Adam  was  miraeu- 
lons  and  instantaneous,  and  a  i*il)  was 
taken  from  his  side  while  he  sle})t,  from 
which  I]ve  was  created.  The  Garden 
of  Eden  was  a  literal  garden,  and  a  fruit 
orchard  attached.  In  no  sense  was  it 
allegorical.  Sin  entered  the  woi'ld.  and 
the  condemnation  of  all  was  because 
Adam  disol)eyed  the  command  of  God, 
and  ate  of  the  foi'l)iddeu  fruit.  The  con- 
sequences of  that  act  extended  to  the 
most  remote  ag-es  ;  all  were  alike  doomed 
to  perdition,  and  the  youngest  child  had 
no  hope  of  escape,  unless  its  original  sin 


TT.-i  n.  li E  L  Id  i(  >y  A  yn  l  o  vk.  113 

was  washed  away  in  the  blood  of  Christ. 
Without  conversion,  which  was  a  mirac- 
ulous chano-e  of  nature,  wrouo-ht  by  God 
himself,  and  the  creature  was  nothing 
more  than  a  recipient  of  the  divine  favor, 
not  on  account  of  anything  he  had  done 
or  could  do,  but  on  account  of  a  prede- 
termination on  the  part  of  Deity,  a  lit- 
eral and  eternal  hell  awaited  all.  He 
gave  extensive  quotations  from  the  ser- 
mon by  Jonathan  Edwards  on  ''The 
sinner  in  the  hands  of  an  angry  God,'' 
because  the  final  doom  of  the  impeni- 
tent was  described  in  stronger  language 
than  he  could  command,  (xod's  eternal 
truths  were  the  same  to-day  as  when 
Edwards  preached ;  the  same  Bible 
taught  the  same  awful  fate  of  the  unre- 
ligious.  '"  They  deserve  to  be  cast 
into  hell :  So  that  divine  justice  never 
stands  in  the  w^ay  ;  it  makes  no  objec- 
tion to  God's  using  his  power  at  any 
moment  to  destroy  them.  They  are 
already   under    sentence   of    condemna- 


I  14  .S/XS  AJlStil.VED. 

tiou  to  hell.  They  are  now  the  object 
of  that  verv  same  anger  and  wrath  of 
God  tb.at  is  expressed  in  the  torment  of 
hell.  God  is  a  great  deal  nn)re  angry 
with  great  numbers  now  on  earth,  yea 
with  many  now  in  this  congi'egation, 
than  he  is  with  those  who  are  now  in 
the  tlann^s  of  hell.  The  devil  stands 
ready  to  fall  npon  ami  seize  them  as  his 
own  at  any  moment  (xod  shall  permit 
him.  The  (rod  that  holds  }on  over  the 
pit  of  hell,  much  as  one  holds  a  spider 
or  some  loathesome  insect  over  the  lire, 
aldiors  yon  and  is  dreadfully  provoked ; 
His  wrath  toward  you  burns  like  fire  ; 
He  "looks  u])on  you  as  worthy  of  nothing- 
else  but  to  be  cast  into  hell  fire.  That 
God  will  execute  the  fierceness  of  His 
anger,  implies  that  he  Avill  inflict  wrath 
without  pity,  (xod  will  have  no  other 
use  to  put  you  to  but  only  to  suft'er  mis- 
ery. It  is  the  everlasting  wrath.  It 
would  be  dreadful  to  sufl^er  this  fierce- 
ness and   w^rath  of  Almighty  God  one 


^rAR,  RKLunoN  a  ad  love.  115 

moment,  but  you  must  suifer  it  to  all 
eternity.  Millions  of  millions  of  years 
you  will  writhe  in  the  sulphurous  flames 
of  hell,  because  of  the  merciless  ven- 
geance of  an  angry  God.  But  this  is 
the  dismal  call  of  every  soul  in  the  con- 
gregation that  has  not  been  born  again, 
however  moral  and  strict,  sober  and 
religious  they  may  otherwise  have  been." 
At  the  close  of  the  sermon,  which  had 
been  listened  to  with  stolid  indift'erence 
and  disgust,  he  asked  a  brother  chaplain 
of  another  regiment,  in  the  same  brigade, 
who  was  an  enthusiastic  Methodist,  to 
make  a  few  remarks.  He  began  by  say- 
ing :  "The  fiery  indignation  and  wrath 
of  an  insulted  and  angry  God  has  been 
as  forcibly  portrayed  by  the  brother 
as  language  could  do  it,  but  words 
utterly  fail  to  represent  the  fierce- 
ness of  the  flaming  fury  of  an  angry 
God.  The  most  appalling  picture  by 
the  most  vivid  imagination  can  at  most 
be  only  as  a  shadow  to  the  substance. 


I  16  N/.YN  .!/;so/.i7;/». 

The  dm-atioii  of  hell  ]ii\^  not  heeii  dwelt 
ii})oii  as  its  ini])()rtaiice  demaiuis.  Even 
a  million  of  years  eannot  be  gi-asped  liy 
the  lunnan  mind,  hut  when  T  say  to  yon 
that  if  a  bird  were  to  take  a  leaf  fi-om 
the  forest  and  carry  it  to  Kurope,  and 
retnrn  and  take  anothei',  and  eontinne 
until  every  leaf  in  all  the  forests  on  the 
western  continent  had  been  removed 
and  that  each  tri[)  required  one  hnndred 
yeai's  to  com})lete  it.  and  that  aftei"  that 
it  should  take  a  '^•rain  of  sand  and  carry 
it  to  Anstralia,  and  I'eturn  and  get  an- 
other, and  so  on  until  the  Avestern  hemi- 
sphere had  been  removed,  that  at  the 
expiration  of  that  inconceivable  period 
of  time  //rif  liodonlii  Ikuiiui, —  you  would 
have  oidy  a  feeble  rei)resentation  of  the 
duration  of  the  misery  of  the  damned! 
The  intensity  of  the  heat  that  envelopes 
the  damned  nniy  l)e  feebly  rei)resented 
by  the  illustration  often  used  lyy  the 
early  fathers  in  the  chnrch.  If  a  sonl 
would  be  taken  from  the  flames  of  hell 


IT'.4ri',  RELlaloy  ASD  LOVK.  117 

and  transferred  to  a  cauldron  of  red-hot 
potash,  the  change  Avould  be  so  great 
that  he  would  freeze  in  a  few  moments. 
But  all  the  danger  to  which  3'ou  are 
exposed  and  all  the  consequences  of  a 
wicked  life,  however  vile  and  depraved 
you  may  have  been,  and  are,  can  be  and 
Avill  be  removed  in  an  instant  if  you  re- 
pent and  ask  God  to  forgive  you.  A 
pure,  honorable  life  is  no  aid  in  securing 
forgiveness  :  on  the  contrary  it  is  a  bar- 


rier." 


On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which 
the  sermon  Avas  preached  Grenerals  Lo- 
gan, Blair  and  Dodge  called  on  General 
AVallace  at  his  headquarters. 

They  were  very  cordially  received  by 
Wallace  and  Colonel  Dale. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Wallace,  "I  am 
especially  glad  to  see  you  at  this  time. 
Colonel  Dale  and  I  were  talking  of  the 
many  noble  qualities  possessed  by  Gen- 
eral McPherson,  and  his  tragic  death,  and 
we  both  became  almost  melancholy." 


I  iS  .'^7.V>'  -'iI!SnL\i:D. 

Loo'aii  said:  ''The  suliject  under 
consideration  Avas  a  grand  one,  but 
there  are  some  unfortunate  circum- 
stances in  connection  with  his  death, 
well  calculated  to  nuike  his  friends 
des[)ondent.  1  came  very  near  riding 
into  the  same  gap.  As  von  remeiidjer, 
we  left  Shernuin's  headquarters  at  the 
same  tinH\  I  rode  with  him  until  we 
Avere  near  the  line  of  battle,  as  we  sup- 
posed ;  for  the  bullets  were  falling 
around  us,  but  our  own  troops  were  not 
to  be  seen.  I  was  snrprised  not  to 
come  upon  oui-  own  soldiers,  and  I  think 
McPherson  also  was  surprised.  lie 
said  to  me,  '  Hide  to  the  left  and  I  will 
go  on  to  the  frcuit.'  I  did  as  directed  and 
came  in  the  rear  of  my  corps.  lie,  as 
Ave  kn(MV,  rode  foi'ward  into  the  gap 
l)etween  the  corps,  and  the  first  troops 
seen  was  the  Confederate  skirmish  line, 
lie  Avas  halted,  but  he  wheeled  his  horse, 
])lunged  spurs  into  his  side,  expecting 
to  ride  out  of  danger.    It  is  highly  prob- 


WAR,  RELIGIoy  Ayn  LilYE.  Iig 

able  that  his  first  conception  of  his 
situation  was  when  he  was  halted  by  the 
Confederate  skirmish  line,  as  there  were 
no  Union  soldiers  in  sight,  to  the  right 
nor  to  the  left.  Oh,  he  was  a  grand  man  I 
One  of  nature's  noblemen !  He  could 
not  do  a  mean  thing,  nor  anything  that 
was  unkind  to  any  one.  He  had  a  heart 
as  big  as  humanity,  and  as  fearless  as  a 
lion,  and  yet  as  easily  touched  in  ten- 
derness as  a  woman's.  He  was  the  only 
regular  army  officer  who  did  not  at  some 
time  at  least  hint  to  me  that  he  pos- 
sessed some  military  qualifications  not 
to  be  found  in  any  civilian  general,'' 

"Yes,"'  said  General  Dodge,  "nature 
was  prodigal  to  him  in  bestowing  her 
choicest  gifts  that  constitute  the  highest 
type  of  the  American  citizen  and  soldier, 
and  I  have  found  myself  many  times 
since  his  death  saying,  '  If  he  had  rode 
twenty  rods  to  the  right  he  would  have 
been  in  the  rear  of  my  corps.  Even  if 
he   made  no  profession   of  religion,  he 


S/.VS  ABSDLVHIJ. 


came  as  near  being  g-ove'i'iied  at  all  times 
bj  the  great  central  truth  ot^  the  Sermon 
on  the  ]\[ount  as  any  man  I  ever  knew."" 

"  I  ne\er  saw  him  exhil)it  the  slightest 
temper,  except  on  one  occasion,"  said 
(reneral  Blair.  '"We  were  walking 
leisurely  through  the  camp.  and.  as  we 
passed  the  guard-house,  a  tine,  maidy 
looking  soldier  was  being  rathei-  roughly 
forced  cjuite  against  his  will  intr)  it. 
(ieneral  McPhei'Son  said.  'Is  that  man 
a  good  soldier?  what  has  he  done?" 
'  Ves,  general,  he  is  a  good  soldier,  but 
he  has  Ijeen  I'oraging  without  orders  ; 
he  brought  into  camp  last  night  seven 
chickens."  '  (_)ppii  tJiaf  (Joor  !  "  thundered 
McPherson  in  a  rao"e,  '  aiid  srn<l  that 
mat)  hdcl'  to  Jn's  cou/jtif//  f/.  I  }{'is]i  it  laid 
heen  ■■^errnff/  tJiou.'^and  i/isfeail  of  ■sei'rn. 
I  iroaJd  like  to  see  evenj  sofdirr  in  the 
anin/  If  a  re-  fried  chiel'r//  for  t)i'f^akf(ist, 
loith  J)isr(iits  oi)d  Ijidter.'  " 

"  You  all  know."  said  General  Wal- 
lace,    '*  that    McPherson     and    I     were 


TTMR.  BELIGIOy  AND  LOVE.  121 

especial  friends.  I  have  been  much  in 
his  company,  and  he  treated  me  as  a 
yonnger  brother.  His  nnselfish,  and  I 
think  I  may  say  Christian,  character 
and  life  appeared  to  me*  inexplicable  in 
a  man  who  was  absolutely  without  fear  ; 
his  standard  of  ethics  was  not  below 
the  highest  ever  taught  by  man,  and 
their  exemplification  was  his  daily  life. 
I  shall  never  forget  our  last  social  meet- 
ing ;  it  was  three  or  four  nights  before 
the  22nd,  and  we  remained  together 
until  after  1  o'clock.  He  was  in  every 
sense  a  scholarly  general ;  his  familiar- 
ity with  ancient  generals  and  cam- 
paigns equaled  that  of  a  professor  in 
ancient  history.  I  seem  now  to  hear 
his  philosophical  discussion  on  the  great 
campaigns  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and 
to  see  his  noble  face  as  he  speaks  of 
that  rapid  march  to  Thebes,  and  to 
listen  to  his  justification  of  the  execu- 
tion of  30,000,  and  to  the  sale  of  30,000 
more   into   perpetual    slavery.     Demos- 


122  NZA'N  AliSoLVhlD. 

theiies  was  then  in  .Vtheiis.  and  he  was 
a  deadly  enemy  of  the  young-  king. 
Less  severity  would  not  have  prevented 
revolt  during-  his  contenijdated  al)sence  ; 
he  left  Greece  soon  thereafter  and  never 
returned  ;  he  died  in  l^abylon  ten  years 
later,  and  peace  was  continous  in  (Greece 
until  after  his  death.  His  social  defects 
were  not  the  faults  of  the  man,  but  of 
the  times  in  which  he  lived.  The  strat- 
egy of  Ilannilia],  his  fate  and  his  bril- 
liant generalship  were  ever  fresh  in  his 
mind,  and  the  campaigns  of  Ca'sar  and 
Pompey  were  vividly  portrayed.  iSTa- 
poleon  was  his  ideal  of  a  military  hero  ;' 
his  gigantic  ])lans,  his  surpassing  strat- 
egy and  the  faultless  execution  of  his 
campaigns  were  marvels  in  the  art  of 
war.  He  said  in  our  last  conversation  : 
'I  am  as  firm  a  l)eliever  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  our  identity  after  death  as  was 
IS^apoleon.  The  soul  is  not  changed, 
but  takes  with  it  its  disposition,  habits 
and   tendencies.     I  shall,  upon  my   en- 


WAR.  RELIGIOX  AXD  LOVE.  123 

trance  into  the  spiritual  life,  whenever 
that  may  he,  first  seek  the  company  of 
the  cr-reatest  militar}^  minds  of  the  world, 
ancient  and  modern,'  and  then  Jesus, 
whom  I  believe  to  have  been  the  great- 
est and  most  wonderful  man  the  world 
ever  produced.  As  I  have  been  so  de- 
lighted with  your  scliolarly  research 
about  his  life  up  to  the  time  he  began 
to  teach  in  Galilee,  the  reasonableness 
of  his  association  with  teachers  in  the 
far  East  gives  to  his  life  and  teaching 
additional  interest." 

'"  Come  in,  Mr.  Chaplain,"  said  General 
Wallace,  as  that  gentleman  appeared  at 
the  door.  "^This  gentleman  is  my  es- 
teemed friend,  Mr.  Calvin,  the  chaplain  of 
my  regiment — General  Logan,  General 
Blair  and  General  Dodge;  you  need  no 
introduction  to  Colonel  Dale.  We  have 
been  talking  of  General  McPherson,  and 
I  have  not  been  able  to  rid  myself  of 
the  feeling  that  you  had  him  in  your 
mind  during  jour  sermon  yesterday." 


124  N/TS  AB>!(iLVKD. 

"I  did  not,'"  said  tlie  chaplain,  'have 
the  honor  of  a  pei'sonal  acquaintance 
witli  tiie  g'cneral.  I  am  informed,  how- 
ever, that  he  was  one  of  the  noblest  of 
men  ;  that  he  was  all  any  unconverted 
man  could  be  ;  but,  gentlemen.  God  will 
not  change  His  plans  of  salvation  even 
for  General  McPherson.  I  understand 
that  he  was  not  only  (id  auconrert'd  man. 
but  that  he  did  not  even  believe  conver- 
sion was  necessary  to  salvation  :  that  he 
trusted  in  a  right  life.  He  therefore 
gave  no  evidence  that  he  was  one  of  the 
elect.  It  is  not  I  who  shall  judge  him, 
but  God.  Sad  as  is  the  thought  to  me, 
and  even  more  sad  to  you,  his  personal 
friends  and  admirers,  there  is  no  hope 
for  him.  There  is  but  one  way  of  sal- 
vation, and  that  he  rejected.  He  is 
beyond  doubt  at  this  moment  bewailing 
his  awful  fate." 

•'  General  McPherson  in  hell !  "  said 
Wallace,  the  fire  of  indignation  flaming 
from    his    eyes.     •' Outrageous  I    infam- 


IVAU.  RELIGIOy  AND  LOYK.  125 

ous  !  damnable  I  He  lived  a  Christian 
life  unconsciously ;  he  was  an  heir  of 
heaven  by  birthright,  and  he  never  for- 
feited that  right  by  a  wicked  life.  True, 
he  never  made  any  profession  of  religion, 
nor  was  it  necessary  ;  he  lived  it.  He 
was  one  of  the  ninety  and  nine  who  had 
never  gone  astray.  Such  a  man  in  hell ! 
The  thought  is  enough  to  make  angels 
weep  and  the  damned  rejoice.  That 
greatest  truth  ever  uttered  by  man,  viz.  : 
'Whatsoever  ye  would  that  man  should 
do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  him,"  was 
the  inspiration  of  his  life,  and  would 
have  been  evolved  by  him  if  it  had  not 
been  given  to  the  world  before.  Was 
that  loving  apostle,  James,  the  brother 
of  Jesus,  ignorant  of  what  constituted 
religion?  Is  it  a  fact  that  pure,  unde- 
filed  religion  before  God  is  to  visit  the 
widows  and  the  orphans  in  their  afflic- 
tion, and  to  keep  one's  self  unspotted 
before  the  world?  Or  is  it  a  snare  and 
a  delusion  given  to  the  world  by  Jesus 


126  S7.YN  ABSdLVKD. 

and  hi^  apostles?  Are  we  to  have  any 
respect  for  the  statement  made  by  Jesus 
Christ  when  he  said.  'By  this  ye  shall 
know  that  yon  are  my  disciples,  if  i/ou 
lore  oiK  (inotlnr/  "  Does  the  broad  state- 
ment, larg-e  as  humanity,  that,  'in  every 
nation  he  that  feareth  God  and  Avorketh 
righteonsness  /•>•  acce[)ted  of  him.'  mean 
nothing?  "" 

''  (Tenei'al,""  said  the  chaplain,  "  it  re- 
qnii'ed  great  courage  to  preach  that 
sermon,  and  at  this  time,  in  the  presence 
of  the  generals  of  this  army,  holding  as 
you  do.  the  welfare  of  the  nation  in 
your  hands,  requires  more  courage  than 
I  of  myself  })ossess,  but  aided  as  I  have 
been,  and  am.  from  above,  I  am  able  to 
say,  I  cannot  retract  a  Avord  of  that  ser- 
mon. On  the  contrary,  it  is  my  duty  as 
a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  emphasize 
the  statements  then  made.  Depend 
upon  it,  gentlemen,  the  Bible  is  a  holy 
and  infallible  book,  written  every  word 
and  line  by  the  hand  of  God;  it  must 


WAR.  RELKiWX  AXD  LOTK.  127 

be  accepted  as  it  reads,  literall_y ;  not 
with  the  alleged  rationalistic  inter- 
pretation given  by  some  modern  schol- 
ars, whose  rendering  in  some  instances 
encourages  a  skepticism  more  dangerous 
than  the  avowed  infidelity  of  Thomas 
Paine  and  Voltaire.  I  refer  ])articularly 
to  the  scholarly,  but  pernicious,  teach- 
ing of  Theodore  Parker,  and  the  brilliant 
star,  James  Freeman  Clark.  The  Bible 
justifies  the  fiery  denunciation  made  by 
Jonathan  Edwards  of  the  impenitent  — 
the  non-elect  —  and  the  same  personal 
devil  is  impassioiiately  Avaiting  to  claim 
his  own." 

"Mr.  Chaplain,"  said  Wallace,  ''the 
belief  in  the  infallibility  of  the  Bible 
has  been  one  of  the  leading  causes  in 
producing  the  spirit  of  intolerance 
manifested  by  all  orthodox  churches. 
It  has  made  the  history  of  Christianity 
a  history  of  bloodshed  ;  it  was  the  cause 
of  the  brutal  assassination  of  the  loving 
Servitis  by  the  cold-blooded  and  intol- 


I  28  ^''^^'>^  ABSOLVHD. 

lerant  Calvin,  and  of  the  fierce  conllicts 
1)etweeii  science  and  religion  in  the 
domain  of  })hilosophy,  and  geology, 
^vhich  resnlted  in  the  slow  and  inhuman 
punishment  of  Galileo,  rendered  doubly 
so  Ijecause  of  his  age  and  infirmities, 
and  of  the  infamous  burning  of  Bruno. 

'"No  sentence  ever  uttered  l)y  man 
has  caused  so  much  misery  and  death  as 
that  found  in  the  Bible,  viz.,  *•  Suffer  not 
a  witch  to  live.'  ]S  either  Xero,  Kobes- 
pierre  nor  Bloody  Mary  ever  uttered 
language  that  equaled  it  in  producing 
wholesale  miu'der. 

"Mr.  Chaplain,  I  admit  the  truth  of 
your  oft-repeated  statement  that  the 
'  Catholic  Church  has  been  intolerant.' 
And  it  is  also  true  that  this  intolerant 
spirit  has  been  transmitted  to  her  Prot- 
estant offspring  in  a  most  aggravated 
form. 

"  Protestantism  has  been  the  deadly 
foe  of  mental  liberty,  and  of  progress  in 
many  instances.     Beneath  the  cloak  of 


^rAR.  RELTGKIX  AND  LOVE.  129 

friendship  Christianity  has  carried  the 
assassin's  dagger  and  the  fagot,  for  any 
bold  thinker  who  attempted  to  burst  the 
bars  of  an  imprisoning  creed.  Bigotry 
tortured  and  the  church  murdered. 

*'  Scarcely  had  the  Reformation  gained 
a  foothold  in  Grermany  before  Protes- 
tants began  their  work  of  bloody  perse- 
cution agaiust  Catholics  ;  and  when  they 
became  stronger  and  divided  into  sects, 
against  each  other.  It  was  Protestants 
who  at  the  point  of  the  sword  made  the 
people  of  Saxony  and  Bradenburg  re- 
nounce the  Catholic  faith  ;  it  was  Prot- 
estants who  drove  the  inhabitants  of 
Munster  from  their  homes  in  the  dead 
of  winter.  The  fanatical  Munzer  over- 
ran Germany,  preaching  and  plundering, 
baptizing  and  butchering  until  forty 
thousand  perished  in  his  mad  attempt 
to  make  Anabaptists  of  Lutherans  and 
Catholics.  The  tables  were  turned. 
Munzer  was  captured  and  put  to  a 
bloody  death,  and  his  'Religious  Revival' 


I  30  .S7.VN  . I  llSdL  VKD. 

was  succeeded  by  a  ])roti'acted  effort  on 
the  part  of  Lutherans.  '  As  long  as 
there  is  a  drop  of  l)lood  in  your  veins, 
pursue  as  wild  beasts  and  consume  like 
wolves  these  miserable  ])easants,"'  Avas 
the  command  of  Mai-tin  Luther.  For 
months  the  bloody  work  of  an  effort  at 
annihilation  continued  at  AYernsbnrg, 
^Vlsatia.  liande,  and  thousands  of  peas- 
ants fell  victims  to  their  relentless  fury. 

"The  violent  dissensions  between 
Luther  and  Zwiugle,  and  subsequently 
between  Luther's  disciples  and  Calvin, 
and  the  bloodshed  which  those  dissen- 
sions produced  is  known  to  every  stu- 
dent of  history. 

'•In  the  Xetherlands  the  Calvinists 
destroyed  the  Catholic  churches,  butch- 
ered the  priests,  and  even  dragged  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  from  their  graves. 
•  For  three  nights  and  two  days,'  says 
the  history,  '  did  the  havoc  rage  nn- 
checked  through  the  city  of  Antwer[) 
and  all  the  neighboring  villages.  Scarcely 


WAR.  HELIGION  AND  LOVE.  131 

a  work  of  art  escaped  destruction.  On 
every  hand  were  the  ruins  of  churches, 
broken  statues,  torn  pictures,  and  mur- 
dered priests.' 

"In  Holland,  the  Protestant  leader, 
Sonoj,  imprisoned,  tortured  and  slaugh- 
tered thousands  for  no  other  crime  than 
that  of  being  Catholics. 

"Motley,  in  his  'Rise  of  the  Dutch 
Republic,"  cites  the  following  among 
many  other  instances  of  Sonoy's  cruelty  : 

"  '  JS^anning  Koppczoon  was  a  man  in 
the  full  vigor  of  his  years.  He  bore 
with  perfect  fortitude  a  series  of  incred- 
ible tortures,  after  which,  with  his  body 
singed  from  head  to  heel,  and  his  feet 
almost  entirely  flayed,  he  w^as  left  for 
six  weeks  to  crawl  about  his  dungeon 
on  his  knees.  He  was  then  brouo'ht 
back  to  the  torture-room  and  ag-ain 
stretched  upon  the  rack,  while  a  large 
earthen  vessel,  made  for  the  purpose, 
was  placed  inverted  upon  his  naked 
body.     A   number   of   rats  were   intro- 


132  .S7.YN  AliSoLVHD. 

dueed  under  the  cover  and  hot  coals 
were  heaped  upon  the  vessel  until  the 
rats,  rendered  furious  by  the  heat, 
"•nawed  into  the  very  bowels  of  the 
victim  in  their  agony,  to  escape.  The 
holes  thus  torn  in  his  bleeding  ilesh 
were  tilled  with  red-hot  coals.  lie  was 
aftei'ward  sul)jected  to  other  tortures 
too  foul  to  relate  ;  noi-  was  it  until  he 
had  endured  all  this  agony  with  a  forti- 
tude which  seemed  supernatural  that  he 
was  at  last  discovered  to  be  human. 
Scorched,  bitten,  dislocated  in  every 
joint,  sleepless,  starving,  perishing  with 
thirst,  he  was  at  last  cruslied  into  a  false 
confession  by  a  promise  of  absolute 
forgiveness." 

"  But  if  Koppezoon  believed  that  a 
spark  of  honor  existed  in  the  breast  of 
this  Protestant  persecutor,  he  was  soon 
convinced  of  his  error.  He  was  per- 
mitted to  live  long  enough  to  see  his 
aged  father  die  upon  the  rack,  when  his 
own  heart  was  torn  from  his  bosom  and 


Tr.4  7?,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  133 

thrust  into  his  face,  his  head  was  taken 
off  and  placed  on  the  church  steeple  of 
his  native  village  and  his  body  quar- 
tered and  exposed  upon  the  towers  of 
Alkamaar ! 

''  The  Protestant  Church  of  England 
was  probably  the  most  intolerant  of  all 
churches.  Its  footsteps  ^  are  marked 
with  blood ;  its  victims  were  put  to 
the  most  frightful  tortures  before 
they  were  executed  —  tortures  that  for 
their  fiendish  refinement  would  have 
brought  a  smile  of  satisfaction  to  the 
face  of  Torquemada. 

"  The  following  is  one  example  of 
daily  scenes  that  were  enacted  while 
Protestant  power  was  supreme*in  Eng- 
land during  many  years  : 

"A  Mrs.  Clithero  perishes  at  York. 
She  is  a  lady  of  high  character,  and  her 
sole  offense  is  having  afforded  refuge  to 
a  famishing  priest.  The  mode  of  death 
is  as  follows :  She  is  placed  on  the 
floor  on  her  back,  with  her  hands  and 


134 


SLYN  ABSnl,Vi:i). 


feet  finnly  Ijoiind.  A  heavy  door  is  laid 
upon  lier.  and  eiioniions  weights  pUieed 
upon  tlie  door.  Sharp  stones  have  been 
put  nnder  lier  l)ody,  and  the  weiglits 
pressing  down  foree  tliese  through  the 
flesh,  breaking  her  i-ibs.  causing  liours 
of  intense  agony  and  finally  death.  It 
seems  scarcely  possible  for  heartless 
cruelty  to  be  carried  farthei" :  and  yet 
these  Protestants,  not  content  with  in- 
humanly murdering  this  poor  mother, 
brutallv  beat  her  weeiun^-  children  that 
stand  around  her  lu'uised  and  mangled 
corpse,  and  throw  the  eldest,  only  twelve 
years  old,  into  prison."' 

•'  Yes.  General,"  said  the  chaplain, 
'•the  history  of  Christianity  is  a  history 
of  l)arbarity  and  bloodshed  from  which 
angels  would  turn  away  with  tears  in 
their  eyes,  haf  tJnit  hhicl-  record  is  the 
Jii^torij  of  ilie  octs  of  men,  prompted  to, 
and  sometimes  goaded  on,  by  former 
persecutions  not  in  any  instance  in  keep- 
ing with  the  teaching  of  Jesus  Christ." 


WAR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  1 35 

''  Mr.  Chaplain,  there  is  no  difference 
between  us  upon  that  point.  The  pure 
and  loving-  teaching  of*  Jesus  never 
caused  a  tear,  and  will  redeem  the 
world,  if  accepted,  but  the  fact  remains 
that  the  atrocities  of  history  were  done 
in.  the  name  of  Christianity,  hecause  the 
jjerpetrators  of  those  crimes  heliered 
THEIK  interj^retations  of  the  BiJjle  to  l>e 
infallihte. 

"  The  belief  in  the  existence  of  a 
personal  devil,  —  whose  machinations 
and  plans  have  thwarted  God  in  the 
care  of  the  ninety  per  cent  of  the  hu- 
man family,  who  goes  around  roaring 
like  a  lion  seeking  whom  he  may  de- 
vour,—  is  still  dear  to  the  clergy  who 
have  been  side-tracked  while  the  train 
of  progress  passed  them.  No  fact  of 
science  is  better  established,  or  more 
universally  accepted  by  the  scholars  of 
the  world,  than  that  there  is  in  the  en- 
tire universe  of  God  hnt  one  original 
force,    God.     The  law  of  the  conserva- 


1-6  ^'^A'N  AliSOlA'HD. 

tion  of  energy  is  a  demonstration  of  the 
eternal  trntli  that  the  controlling'  and 
directing  pow'er  is  in  oi/r  personality,  or 
in  one  entity  above  personality,  and  not 
in  two.  "(letting  religion,'  Mr.  Chap- 
lain, is  nothing  l)ut  emotional  slush, 
often  depending  upon  a  morbid  stomach 
and  liver,  in  other  cases  a  morbid  brain, 
poisoned  in  early  years  by  false  and 
pernicious  teaching.  The  great  doc- 
trine of  the  Atonement,  as  you  dignify 
it,  is  referred  to  but  once  in  the  whole 
Bil)le,  and  the  proper  rendering  of  the 
word  used  in  that  place  means,  at  one 
with  Jesus  Christ,  nothing  more  ;  and 
the  same  ])rinciple  of  a  right  life  per- 
vades the  entire  Xew  Testament.  Xo 
honorable  man  ought  to  desire  or  expect 
anything  beyond  what  he  merits,  and  it 
would  require  as  high  manhood  as  I 
have  ever  seen  to  prevent,  at  least,  in- 
ditference  about  our  conduct  if  some 
other  person,  whom  we  had  never  seen, 
was  to  suffer  the  consequences  of  our 


WAR.  RELIGIOX  ASD  LOVE.  137 

sins.  Where,  therefore,  is  there  any 
authority  for  the  emotional  gush  called 
a  change  of  heart,  or  conversion,  which 
is  generally  exhibited  by  those  of  a 
cowardly  nature,  conscious  of  having 
lived  a  wicked  life?  And  where  was 
there  ever  a  shadow  of  a  foundation  for 
that  infamous  doctrine  of  '  election,' 
when  the  Bible  specifically  states,  '  God 
is  no  respecter  of  persons?'  The  be- 
neficence and  the  eternal  justice  of  the 
inviolable  law  of  heredity  embodied  in 
that  wonderful  passage  —  wonderful  be- 
cause of  the  time  it  was  given  to  the 
world  in  the  Bible  —  viz.,  '  Be  not  de- 
ceived :  God  is  not  mocked ;  whatso- 
ever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap,'  is  confirmed  by  the  observation 
and  experience  of  every  thinker.  Esau 
sold  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage, 
and  though  he  sought  it  diligently  with 
tears,  he  never  found  it  again.  Every 
account  run  with  retribution  must  be 
settled  in  this  world,  or  in  some  other 

10 


I3S  N7XS  ABSOLVKD. 

world.  ( Jod  never  encouraged  a  wicked 
life  with  the  assurance  that  an  innocent 
})erson  would  suliVr  the  legitimate  con- 
sequences thereof.  The  wliole  thread- 
woru  theory  of  convei'sioh  or  a  chang'e 
of  heart.  end:)racing  the  fall  of  uian  and 
salvatiou  through  the  hlood  of  Christ,  is 
an  irrational  dogma,  tlirust  into  the  pure 
teaching  of  the  great  Master,  more  than 
300  years  after  his  death,  by  the  Council 
of  Nice.  Thei'P  nfvpv  iras  a  fall.  An- 
thropology has  demonstrated  that  man 
has  ai-isen  everywhere  from  low  and 
brutal  conditions,  and  the  unmistakable 
teaching  of  the  Bible,  approved  b}^  com- 
mon sense,  is  that  salvation  is  obtained 
in  no  other  way  than  by  a"  right  life. 
The  God  of  heaven  and  earth  never 
intended  that  any  person  should  find 
license  for  sinning  in  the  belief  that 
future  rcjientance  will  wipe  out  the 
Avillful  transgressions  of  the  past.  The 
law  tlnit  a  man  shall  reap  what  he  sows 
is  a  law  of  infinite  blessing,  because  it 


WAIi,  RELIGlny  AND  LOVE. 


139 


fosters  good  and  warns  against  evil.  It 
encourages  the  formation  of  character. 
There  should  be  no  ditference  of  opin- 
ion that  the  life-work  of  Jesus  was  to 
redeem  man  from  Ju's  sins,  and  not  to  re- 
move the  consequences  of  sins.  Mr. 
Calvin,  the  religion  of  the  future  will 
recognize  the  fact  that  man  is  on  the 
earth  for  discipline,  and  that  all  pain 
and  suffering,  in  this  or  any  other  world, 
has  a  preservative  function.  The  benefi- 
cence of  the  pain  produced  when  a 
child,  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  fire 
burns,  puts  its  dimpled  hand  against  the 
hot  stove  is  easily  understood  to  be  a 
lesson  in  an  education,  and  to  be  pre- 
servative in  its  influence.  The  secret 
of  pain  is  progress.  Look  where  you 
please,  and  you  will  find  gleaming 
through  the  shadow  of  suffering  the 
light  of  a  gracious  purpose  of  progress 
through  pain.  Science  unites  with 
philosophy  and  religion  in  revealing 
this  goal  of   our  costly  progress.     Mr. 


140  .s'7.Y.s'  AliSdLVKD. 

Darwin  declares,  in  his  '  Origin  of 
Species.'  as  natural  selection  works, 
solely  by  and  for  the  good  of  each  in- 
dividual, that  the  ])hysical  and  mental 
endowments  will  tend  to  progress  to- 
ward i)erfection.  Tt  follows  that  all 
evil  must  gradually  disappear  from 
human  life,  as  imperfection  grows  out 
toward  perfection.  Mr.  Herbert  Spen- 
cer looks  forward  to  the  diminution  of 
human  ills,  and  to  their  entire  disap- 
pearance in  the  far  future.  The  vision 
of  science  and  [)hilosophy  is  of  a 
coming  man,  redeemed  by  pain  from 
pain,  educated  through  suffering  out  of 
suffering,  not  because  of  any  arbitrary 
decree,  but  by  and  through  the  contin- 
uous operation  of  the  law  of  evolution. 
All  of  the  suft'ering,  therefore,  of 
individuals  and  of  aggregations  of  in- 
dividuals is  simply  the  penalty  for 
violated  law,  and  is  always  reformatory^ 
and  as  the  entire  domain  of  (lod  is 
governed    by  law,  not  in  conflict  with 


WAR.  RKLKil ON  A ND  LOVE.  141 

what  we  recognize  around  us,  the  same 
is  true  in  all  worlds,  now  and  in  the 
future.  Our  inability  to  see  more  than 
a  short  segment  of  the  circle  in  the 
great  sweep  of  infinite  goodness  de- 
mands of  us  a  modest  faith,  based  upon 
reason,  or,  as  Professor  Tyndall  would 
say,  '  the  scientific  use  of  the  imagina- 
tion.' '■ 

A  loud  rap  is  heard  at  the  door.  A 
colonel  from  General  Sherman's  staif 
enters  with  the  following  order  : 

Headquarters:  Generals  Howard,  Blair,  Logan, 
Wallace,  Dodge —  GenoA'ixl  Hood  iinc]  the  Confederate 
army  are  moving  to  the  north.     Come  at  once. 

Sherman. 


CHAPTER   Tin. 

Wallace's  lectukk  ox  tiis  tkavels 
ix  the   east. 

The  followiiig-  conversation  between 
Genernl  McPherson  and  (General  Wal- 
lace occurred,  early  in  July.  lS()-i,  near 
Atlanta,  Georgia  : 

General  ^NlcPherson  said:  ''You 
know  from  my  fre(|iient  calls,  often 
without  business,  that  I  am  delighted 
with  your  company.  As  a  conversation- 
alist you  possess  rare  gifts.  Your 
charming  talks  of  your  travels  in  the 
East  are  to  me  especially  interesting. 
With  your  permission,  I  will  ask  Gen- 
erals Slierman,  Logan,  Dodge,  Blair, 
Howard  and  a  few  of  my  favorite  colo- 
nels to  my  headquarters  some  evening 
to  hear  a  lecture  from  you  upon  that 
subj  ect.  Personally  I  would  be  delighted 
with  a  repetition  of  your  reasons  for 
142 


WAR,  RKLIGION  AXD  LOVE.  143 

believing  Jesus  to  have  spent  the  time 
he  was  absent  from  his  native  land  in 
oriental  countries/' 

"  General  MePherson,"  said  Wallace/ 
"  I  appreciate  the  high  compliment,  and 
as  it  is  your  request,  it  shall  be  granted. 
You  may  designate  the  evening." 

THE    LECTURE, 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen, —  The 
honor  of  addressing  a  select  audience 
composed  of  the  generals  and  colonels 
commanding  the  Union  army,  in  the 
midst  of  one  of  the  remarkable  cam- 
paigns in  the  history  of  wars,  with 
Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  in  the  chair,  is  an 
honor  I  never  dreamed  of,  much  less 
ever  expected  to  realize.  In  presenting 
myself  before  you,  I  deeply  regret  that 
I  am  not  better  prepared  to  talk  to  you 
on  the  subject  indicated.  Had  I  access 
to  the  many  notes  taken  during  my 
studies  in  the  East,  and  the  many  valu- 
able   works    of   reference    by    eminent 


144  •'''^-'^'■"''  -iii^<'t-yi-:D. 

scholars  that  are  now  l^^ing  packed  in 
my  trunk  at  home,  I  might  have  been 
enabled  to  make  mv  talk  more  interesting 
in  point  of  data  and  scholarly  research. 

"Knowing  (ieneral  McPherson's  in- 
vitation to  talk  to  you  this  evening  to 
be  the  result  of  sevei'al  conversations 
with  him  on  religious  subjects,  I  wall 
not  burden  you  with  a  description  of 
the  majestic  scenery,  the  strange  people, 
their  ([ueer  manners  and  customs,  and 
the  numy  thrilling  and  pleasant  experi- 
ences I  met  with  on  my  travel  through 
the  countries  of  the  Orient,  but  will 
endeavor  to  confine  myself  to  the  relig- 
ions of  its  peo})le,  and  give  you  some  of 
the  points  of  contact  and  comparison 
between  the  religions  of  the  East  and 
that  of  Jesus,  as  I  gathered  them  by 
my  own  personal  study  and  observation. 

"  It  is  natural  for  man  to  be  religious. 
It  was  born  in  him.  lie  breathed  it 
w^ith  the  breath  of  life.  Away  back  in 
the   mystic   ages,   at  the   very  birth   of 


WAR.  EELIGToy  AXD  LOVE.  145 

human  intellect,  we  find  men  impressed 
with  the  belief  in  the  existence  of  a 
divine  principle,  power  or  being,  or  in 
other  words,  the  belief  in  the  existence 
of  a  Cxod,  and  to  whom  he  sustained  the 
relationship  of  dependence,  obligation 
and  hope. 

"  To  the  primitive  man  with  untrained 
mind,  surrounded  by  dangers  and  difii- 
culties  that  he  could  not  control,  by  the 
various  phenomena  of  nature  that  were 
to  him  inscrutable,  it  is  not  strange 
that  he  should  feel  his  insignificance,  his 
helplessness,  his  dependence  upon  the 
Supreme  Power,  and  be  moved  to  rever- 
ence, to  worship,  to  curiosity  and  hope. 

"  Their  idea  of  a  God  was,  however, 
very  crude  and  vague  ;  as  time  rolled 
on  and  the  mind  began  to  develop,  their 
means  of  observation  to  increase,  the 
power  of  abstraction  and  generalization 
began  to  appear.  He  was  given  a  per- 
son and  personalities,  functions  and 
attributes,   very   similar  often   times   to 


146  >/,A.S  AliSiiLVEli. 

their  own  ])eculiar  ideas  and  passions, 
until  we  lind  even  at  an  early  date,  the 
Divine  })rinei[)le  completely  covered  up 
with  all  manner  of  theories,  olocj'ies  and 
isms,  more  or  less  mysterious,  corrupt 
and  complex.  And  at  this  later  date 
we  have  all  manners  of  relig-ions,  more 
or  less  surrounded  by  the  mystical  sn- 
])erstitions  of  the  primitive  mind,  mis- 
conceived, distorted,  and  misapplied  l)y 
speculative  ])hiloso})hers  and  dogmatical 
religions.  For  a  peoi)le  living  under 
ditferent  and  various  circumstances  and 
environments,  such  as  climatic  influence, 
dift'erent  degrees  of  intellectuality,  moral 
accountability,  and  })olitical  government, 
it  would  seem  not  an  easy  if  a  possible 
thing  to  formulate  a  religion  that  w^ould 
meet  all  of  the  special  demands  and 
needs  peculiar  to  each  brauch  or  nation 
of  the  people. 

"  God  has  given  to  no  one  people,  to 
no  one  nation,  to  no  one  religion,  a 
monopoly  of  the  truth,  and  how"  errone- 


TT'.l/?,  HKLIGIoy  AND  LOVE.  147 

oiis  for  any  one  religion  to  gather  about 
itself  the  mantle  of  self-righteousness, 
and  cry  out  in  a  voice  of  scornful  intol- 
erance to  all  the  other  religions  :  '  You 
are  heathens,  you  are  sinners,  you  are 
in  the  wrong !  Lo,  here  is  the  only 
true  religion  ;  come,  and  learn  of  me.' 
As  to  the  probabilities  of  a  universal 
religion  in  the  future,  it  is  hardly  safe 
to  speculate.  We  have  much  to  hope 
from  evolution  and  progress,  but  I 
doubt  if  at  any  time  will  the  world  ever 
as  one  people  know  any  other  universal 
redeemer  than  God  himself.  '  Who  at 
divers  times  and  in  sundry  manner 
spake  unto  the  fathers,  has  in  these  last 
days  spoken  unto  us  by  the  Son?'  To 
the  student  of  comparative  theology,  as 
he  turns  over  the  pages  of  the  books  of 
religions  and  reads  with  impartial  mind, 
there  can  be  but  little  doubt  as  to  how 
many  and  who  ai-e  the  spiritual  fathers 
through  whom  God  has  spoken  to  each 
nation  of  this  people. 


14S  N/.vs  .\iiS(ii.\'i:i). 

'•To  my  old  tVieiui  and  teacher,  Max 
Mnller,  I  am  indebted  for  this  axiom  : 
'  lie  who  knows  l)nt  one  religion  knows 
none,'  the  ti'uth  of  Avhich  is  at  once  ap- 
parent and  impressive.  To  know  a 
religion  one  nuist  be  enabled  to  get 
away  from  himself  and  look  at  it 
through  the  eyes  of  the  people  by 
whom  it  is  professed.  He  must  know 
their  language,  and  become  acquainted 
with  their  manners  and  customs,  must 
feel  the  iuHuences  that  surround  and 
control  their  lives,  must  know  the  su- 
perstitions and  traditions  of  their  fath- 
ers, and  look  with  impartial  eyes  and 
honest  })iirpose  upon  the  seeking  of  his 
fellow-men  after  (lod.  When,  having 
learned  of  all  religions,  let  him  bring- 
home  the  golden  truths  he  has  found 
and  as  searchlights  use  them  in  study- 
ing the  religion  that  (lod  has  sent  him. 

•'  As  to  the  idea  of  Jesus  having  vis- 
ited the  countries  of  the  Orient,  from 
the  time  of  his  disappearence  from  his- 


WAR,  RKLKiloy  AND  LOVE.  149 

tory  until  he  began  his  ministry  in 
Judea,  I  have  to  say,  that  as  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  discover,  there  is 
abundant  evidence  in  proof  of  such  a 
statement  other  than  the  many  striking- 
similarities  between  his  teaching  and 
those  of  the  religions  of  the  East,  espe- 
cially those  of  (Taiitama,  the  great  In- 
dian teacher,  whose  religion  is  the 
religion  of  near  five  hundred  millions  of 
people. 

''  In  the  time  of  Jesus  there  was  suf- 
ficient means  by  Avhich  the  Oriental 
doctrines  of  religion  could  have  reached 
Palestine.  As  early  as  the  third  cen- 
tury before  Christ,  we  know  that  there 
Avas  a  well  estal)lished  commercial  rela- 
tion between  the  East  and  the  countries 
of  the  Mediterranean  by  which  the  pearl 
and  the  gold  of  the  land  of  Ophir  found 
its  way  into  Palestine  and  the  Bible 
lands.  Again  we  read  that,  during  the 
reign  of  Asoka,  king  of  India  three 
centuries  before  Christ,  a  council  of  at 


I50 


S/.VS     UlSiiLVKD 


least  a  thousand  religious  scholars  was 
convened  at  Patna.  At  Asoka's  com- 
mand, wlio  was  of  the  Buddhist  faith, 
the  proceeding's  of  this  council  were 
engraven  on  the  rocks  and  scattered 
ahout  through  the  whole  land  of  India, 
The  Buddhists  were  great  i)ropagand- 
ists,  and  many  missionaries  were  sent 
out  to  preach  the  religion  of  their 
beloved  teacher,  across  the  Himalayas, 
into  the  far  olf  xVsia  and  the  surround- 
ing isles.  Strange  if  these  zealous 
missionaries  neglected  the  land  of  Pal- 
estine, hut  we  have  no  word  that  such 
was  or  was  not  the  case.  I  prefer  to 
believe  that  what  Jesus  knew  of  the 
religions  of  the  East,  that  he  journeyed 
thither  by  caravans  and  studied  them 
personally  in  the  land  where  they  were 
best  known  and  revered. 

"In  the  religion  of  Jesus  there  is  so 
little  that  is  new  and  so  much  that 
originally  belonged  to  the  great  teach- 
ers   who     went    before    him,    that    the 


TTM/.\   RELKIWN  AND  LOVE.  15  i 

scholar  who  reads  with  a  knowledge  of 
Oriental  literature  must  surely  see  at 
times  that  which  will  lead  him  to  regard 
the  Bible  of  the  West  as  but  a  new 
version  of  the  Bibles  of  the  East. 

''  Zoroaster,  many  hundred,  perhaps  a 
thousand,  years  before  Jesus  trod  this 
earth,  taught  a  religion  that  believed  in 
the  existence  of  a  supreme  God,  '  the 
Creator  of  the  earthly  and  spiritual  life,' 
'  the  Lord  of  the  whole  universe,  at 
whose  hands  are  all  the  creatures  of  this 
world,'  '  and  whose  promise  unto  those 
who  believe  in  Him  is  everlasting  life  ;' 
'  who  showed  the  sun  and  the  stars 
their  way,'  'who  caused  the  moon  to 
w^ax  and  wane,'  'who  holds  the  earth 
and  skies  above  it,'  '  who  is  in  the  wind 
and  in  the  storm,'  '  who  grants  to  the 
pious  who  are  pure  in  thought,  in  word 
and  deed  the  reward  of  eternal  life,  and 
to  the  wicked  eternal  punishment.' 

"  The  cultivation  of  truth,  purity, 
obedience,  temperance  and  industry  are 


152  >V.YN  AIlSdLVKlK 

indeed  the  foinidation  atones  of  the 
religion  of  Zoroaster.  •  Purity."  said  he, 
'is  the  best  thing  for  a  man  after  l)irth, 
and  good  tli oughts,  good  works,  good 
deeds  are  a  safe  guide  to  the  gates  of 
])aradise.'  The  Zoroasterian  jn-actice  of 
passing  eonseei'ated  l)read  and  a  cui)  of 
soma  wine  to  tlie  worshipers  l)ears  a 
striking  outward  resembhmce  to  the 
Lord's  supper.  The  disciides  of  this 
sect  were  also  taught  that  the  washing 
in  pure  water  was  an  essential  factor  in 
cleansing  their  bodies  of  moral  and 
spiritual  uncleanliness,  as  was  that  of 
prayer.  The  rite  of  the  Xew  Testa- 
ment—  ba|)tism  —  is,  liowever,  of  an- 
cient Essenian  origin. 

"  At  least  five  hundred  years  before 
Christ,  the  great  religionist  of  the  Flow- 
ery Land  gave  to  the  world  that  leadiaig 
princi})le  of  law  known  as  tlie  (lolden 
Kule,  Said  Lao-tsze,  '  Recompense  in- 
jury with  kindness,'  and  Confucius  in 
the  same  great  age  gaye  it  in  the  words, 


WAii.  RELKiioy  Ayn  LDVK.  153 

'Do  not  unto  otliei'8  whatever  ye  would 
not  that  others  should  do  unto  von.' 

"He  also  laid  great  stress  on  what  are 
known  to  his  followers  as  the  five  con- 
stants, viz.,  benevolence,  wisdom,  right- 
eonsness,  worship,  faithfulness.  '  Those,' 
said  he,  'who  multiply  good  deeds  will 
have  joys  running  over,  those  who  mul- 
tiply evil  deeds  calamities  to  overfloAV- 
ing.'  '  Honor  thy  father  and  thy 
mother,'  was  the  most  forcibh^  taught 
by  Confucius  in  his  rules  to  social  life. 
The. Logos  idea  is  from  neo-platonism, 
and  the  mart}^'  Justin  affirms  that  the 
'Logos  had  worked  through  Socrates  as 
it  had  been  present  in  Jesus,'  and  also 
.tells  us  that  the  seed  of  the  Logos  was 
'implanted  in  every  race.' 

"  The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  or 
Unity  in  one  is  of  very  ancient  origin. 
Lao-tsze  puts  it  thusly,  'Two  in  one 
and  three  in  two,'  but  his  disciples  say, 
'Three  pure  ones  in  trinity,'  and  Con- 
fucius talked  of  the  '  absorption  of  the 

11 


I  ^4  sLVs  .i/;sMLi7:/_>. 

trinity  in  the  iiiiite/  Buddha  })uts  it, 
'One  in  nnion  and  tlrreo  in  division.' 

"The  docti'ine  of  the  atonement,  or 
the  delivei'anee  of  many  by  the  virtues 
of  one,  though  somendiat  erude  and  mys- 
terions,  was  known  to  all  anti(jnity,  as 
were  the  doetrines  of  rewai"d  and  pun- 
ishment for  deeds  done  in  this  life. 

''  Of  death,  Confucius  taught  that. 
'  When  llesh  and  bones  die.  the  material 
beconn^s  dust,  but  the  immaterial  rises 
above  the  grave  in  great  light,  has  odor 
and  is  very  pitialdc.  This  same,'  he 
says,  '  though  unseen,  still  continnes  to 
intluenee  the  lives  of  those  in  this  world 
for  many  generati(jns,  or,  in  the  words  of 
our  religion,  they  rest  from  their  labors 
and  their  works  to  live  after  them,' 

'' '  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.'  has 
an  oi'iginal  in  *  look  upon  all  as  upon 
your  ownself,'  of  Ancient  Advatia. 

"  The  idea  of  worshiping  God  through 
love  came  from  the  Vedas  of  the  ancient 
Hindus,     In  one  of  its  many  hymns  we 


n'.lR,  RELIGK.iy  A^D  LOVK.  155 

find  him  spoken  of  as  the  'one  beloved, 
more  dear  than  anvthino-  in  this  or  in 
the  next  world."  '  It  is  good  to  love 
Cxod  for  the  hope  of  reward,  but  better 
to  love  Him  for  the  sake  of  love.' 

''Again,  from  the  same  source  we  are 
told  that  as  a  '  lotus  leaf  grows  in  the 
water  and  never  is  wet  by  the  water,  so 
should  the  man  live  in  this  world, with  his 
heart  to  (iod  and  hand  to  work.'  Here 
we  find  the  same  thought  as  expressed 
by  Jesus  in  his  saying, '  Let  not  the  right 
hand  know  what  the  left  hand  doeth,' 
and  many  others  of  similar  character. 

"How  familiar  are  these  words  taken 
from  one  of  the  most  ancient  of  Hindu 
books,  known  as  the  Laws  of  Manu, 
written  probably  nine  hundred  years 
before  Christ :  '  And  for  whatever  pur- 
pose a  man  bestows  a  gift,  for  a  similar 
purpose  he  shall  receive  a  like  reward." 

" '  Let  not  a  man  be  proud  of  his 
righteous  devotions,  let  him  not  having 
sacrificed,  utter  a  falsehood." 


156  S/-YS  JlisiiLVHri. 

"  '  Having  made  a  donation,  let  him 
not  proclaim  it  abroad," 

•' '  By  falsehood  the  sacrifice  becomes 
vain,  by  pride  the  merit  of  devotion  is 
lost,  and  l)y  proclaiming  its  largeness 
its  fruit  is  destroyed.  For.  in  his  pas- 
sage to  the  next  world,  neither  his 
father,  nor  his  mothei".  nor  his  wife,  nor 
his  son,  nor  any  of  his  kinsmen  accom- 
pany him.' 

'' '  Single  each  man  is  born  ;  single  he 
dies  ;  single  he  receives  his  reward  of 
his  good,  and  single  the  punishment  of 
his  evil  deeds.' 

"  But  the  most  striking  similarities 
are,  however,  found  in  the  religion  of 
Gautama,  who  six  centuries  before  the 
man  of  Galilee,  appeared  in  Palestine, 
went  with  his  band  of  disciples  through 
the  whole  land  of  India  preaching  the 
laAv  of  holiness  to  his  fellow-man.  It 
is  said  that  during  his  ministry  of  forty- 
iive  years  he  preached  not  less  than 
eiiiditv-fonr  thousand  sefmons.  and  was 


TIM  J?,  UKLUlIoy  AND  LOVE.  I  57 

familiar  with  doctrines  of  eiglity-two 
religious  creeds  or  sects.  In  the  char- 
acter and  religion  of  Buddha  there  is  so 
much  of  charity,  love  and  compassion 
for  his  fellow-beings,  so  much  of  toler- 
ance, patience,  self-denial  and  all  lovable 
attributes,  that  one  cannot  become  ac- 
quainted with  his  religion  and  history 
without  a  feeling  of  the  greatest  love 
and  veneration.  Though  wrapped  about 
with  complex  metaphysics  and  tedious 
narrations  and  ancient  legends  of  the 
East,  it  is  not  difhcult  for  the  student 
to  trace  in  his  teachings  an  inspiration 
that  is  Divine,  ^or  to  see  truly  as  the 
Hindu  Krishna  exclaimed,  '  Grod  is  in 
every  religion  like  unto  a  thread  run- 
ning through  a  string  of  pearls.  And 
when  thou  seest  extraordinary  holiness 
connected  to  extraordinary  power,  rais- 
ing the  purity  of  mankind,  know  ye  that 
God  is  there.' 

"  Nowhere  in  all    ni}^  travels  have  I 
ever  met   with    so  kind,    so   gentle,   so 


I  5-3  N/.VS  AUSiiLVFA). 

hospital)le  or  tolerant  a  people  as  are  the 
Buddhists.  It  is  a  j)art  of  their  reli^'i- 
ous  duty  to  be  hospital)le  to  strangers, 
to  take  care  of  the  sick  and  the  needy, 
and  to  exercise  great  patience  and  tol- 
erance for  the  religions  of  all  people. 

••As  far  as  human  suftering  is  con- 
cerned the  records  of  IJuddha  are  stain- 
less. They  tell  of  no  holy  wars ;  no 
inquisition  ;  no  burning  of  heretics,  or 
witches,  or  scholars,  nor  l:tanishnient  of 
unl)elievers  from  their  native  land. 
Their  conquests  were  all  made  without 
persecution  or  bloodshed. 

"  In  teaching  the  peace  of  man  and 
his  salvation.  Buddhism  appeals  to  the 
rational  mind  of  man  and  the  better 
impulses  of  the  human  heart.  Shall  not 
we  give  them  the  honor  due  them  for 
their  religion  that  has  made  them  so  mild, 
though  not  without  its  errors  and  super- 
stitions, its  symbols  and  relics,  its  beads 
and  bells,  its  monasteries  and  shrines, 
its    pilgrimages     and     processions,     its 


TT',1/,'.   RELKiloy  AND  LOVE.  159 

candles  and  incense,  its  robes  and  idols, 
shall  not  we,  who  make  use  of  many  of 
the  same  symbols  and  ceremonies  in  the 
worship  of  our  God,  and  look  upon  it 
all  as  but  the  visible  means  of  worship 
and  not  the  being  worshiped,  shall  not 
we  extend  to  them  our  sympathy,  our 
tolerance  and  our  charity.  The  Saint 
Josaphat  of  the  Catholic  Church  is  no 
doubt  none  other  than  the  loved  Bud- 
dha of  India.  When  Buddaa  came  into 
this  world  he  saw  what  Zoroaster  saw, 
saw  what  Confucius  saw,  saw  what  Jesus 
saw,  saw  what  we  see  to-day  —  human 
misery,  human  sorrow,  human  suffering 
and  sin.  All  life,  the  very  earth  seemed 
to  him  to  be  loaded  down  with  an  ever- 
present  ever-changing  cycle  of  Iiuman 
suffering.  His  great,  tender,  loving 
heart  was  filled  with  compassion  for  his 
fellow  -  sufferers.  He  Vv'ould  that  he 
might  relieve  them  from  this  bondage. 
I  need  not  recount  to  you  the  story  of 
his  birth,  nor  give  you  the  details  of  his 


l6o  N/.YN  AliSOLVKD. 

sevei'c  (liscii.tliiie,  the  .self-mortification, 
and  the  long  stages  of  contemplation, 
through  which  lie  j)assed  before  he  ar- 
I'lNed  at  the  solution  of  the  proljlem  of 
human  pain  and  miser}'.  IIow  at  last  it 
came  to  him.  when  sitting  beneath  the 
spreading  ])oughs  of  a  bo  tree,  that 
/(/i/onn/cr  was  the  cause  of  it  all,  and 
linallya  little  later  on  that  frufJ/  Avas  the 
great  emancipator. 

"  'All  sull'ering,"  said  he,  "  ai'ises  from 
ignorance.  You  shall  know  the  truth 
and  tlie  truth  shall  set  you  on  fire."' 

"l->oth  Buddha  an<l  Jesus  were  of  royal 
l)irth,  and  l)oth  were  hailed  while  yet  in 
early  infancy  by  the  saint  and  the  sage 
as  the  savior  of  the  world  and  the  king 
of  kings. 

"  Both  came  near  being  put  to  death 
by  the  hands  of  a  zealous  monarch,  Avho 
saw  in  each  a  possible  rival  for  his 
throne.  Both  excelled  their  teachers  in 
wisdom  and  leai-ning.  Buddha,  it  is  said, 
could  talk  from  the  dav  of  his  birth,  and 


TIMR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  i6l 

and  while  jef  a  child  explained  the 
names  of  sixty-fonr  alphabets  to  his 
teacher,  as  did  the  child  Jesns  explain 
to  his  teacher  the  meaning  of  tlie  He- 
brew alphabet. 

"  Both  tried  a  life  of  asceticism  and 
carried  their  fasts  to  the  extreme.  Bud- 
dha had  an  encounter  with  Mara  the 
Prince  of  Darkness,  through  whom  he 
underwent  a  stormy  tem})tation  before 
he  gained  the  final  victory  over  self  and 
the  passions  of  worldly  life. 

"Jesus  was  tempted  by  the  devil. 
Both  wandered  about  homeless  and 
penniless,  dependent  entirely  upon  the 
charity  of  the  people.  To  both  are  attri- 
buted the  performance  of  many  miracles. 
Of  both  we  read  that  they  officiated  in 
a  miraculous  way  at  the  marriage  feast, 
Buddha  causing  a  small  amount  of  food 
to  feed  an  astonishingly  great  number 
of  wedding  guests. 

"  Both  were  powerful  teachers,  and 
preached  to  all  classes  of  people  alike. 


I  62  NA.YN  AHSOLVK]). 

Both  pofises^ed  an  extraordinary  infin- 
eiice  ovi'i-  the  minds  of  men.  both  1)y 
tlie  peenliai-  earnestness  and  purity  of 
their  teaehings  and  the  eom[)assionate, 
sym])athetie  qualities  of  their  personali- 
ties. Both  Avere  given  to  teaching  by 
the  way  of  parables,  many  of  which  are 
drawn  from  the  same  sources.  There 
is  the  ])arable  of  the  lost  son.  the  worldly 
fool,  the  sowei'.  the  mustard  seed.  etc. 

"Both  Buddha  and  Jesus  gathered 
about  them  a  Ijand  of  disciples,  one  of 
each  l)eing  the  best  beloved.  Ai'anda 
was  the  favorite  of  Buddha,  as  John 
was  the  favorite  of  Jesus.  Both  sent 
their  disciples  out  into  the  world  to 
})roclaini  the  gos})el  of  peace  and  love 
to  all  humanity.  Said  Buddha  to  his 
disciples  when  he  sent  them  out :  '  Go 
ye  and  wander  forth  for  the  gain  of 
many,  in  compassion  for  the  world,  for 
the  good,  for  the  gain  and  welfare  of 
gods  and  man.  Let  not  two  of  yon  go 
the   same   Avay.     Proclaim  the  doctrine 


IT'.iT?.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  163 

glorious.  Preach  ye  a  life  of  perfect, 
pure  holiness.  Go  into  every  country 
and  convert  those  not  converted.  Go, 
filled  with  compassion,  to  the  rescue  and 
to  save.  Proclaim  that  a  blessed  Buddha 
has  appeared  in  the  world,  and  that  he 
is  preaching-  the  law  of  holiness.' 

"'Like  a  chain  of  blind  men,'  said 
Buddha,  '  is  the  discourse  of  the  Brah- 
mans  ;  he  that  is  in  front  sees  nothing, 
he  that  is  behind  sees  nothing,  he  that  is 
in  the  middle  sees  nothing.  What  then? 
Is  not  the  faith  of  the  Brahmans  in 
vain  ? ' 

"In  similar  manner  Jesus,  speaking  of 
the  Pharisees,  likened  them  unto  the 
'blind  leading  the  blind.' 

"Said  Buddha,  'If  ye  are  unhappy  in 
this  world,  it  is  because  of  past  sins.' 

'' '  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap,'  is  the  way  Jesus 
gave  utterance  to  the  same  truth. 

"  '  Come  unto  me  and  I  will  give  you 
peace,'    said    Buddha ;    '  come   unto   me 


164  >'/-VN  ABSOLVKD. 

and  1  will  give  you  rcr^t/  'Peace  I 
leave  with  yuii,  my  peace  I  give  unto 
you,'  said  Jesus. 

'^'It  is  difticult  for  the  rich  and  the 
noble  to  be  religious/  said  Buddha.  "It 
is  easier  for  the  camel  to  u:o  throui^'h  the 
needle's  eye.'  said  Jesus,  '  than  for  a 
I'ich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven.' 

'''Better  far  with  red-hot  irons  put 
out  both  your  eyes,  than  to  encourage 
in  yuni-selves  lustfal  thoughts,'  said 
Buddha.  'If  thy  right  eye  offend  thee, 
])lack  it  out,'  said  Jesus. 

"  '  At  certain  times  and  })laces  some- 
how do  leaders  a})pear  in  the  world,  just 
as  the  blossom  of  the  glomerous  tig 
tree  is  rare,  also  beautiful  and  far  more 
wonderful  is  the  law  I  proclaim,'  said 
Buddha.  It  is  a  strange  coincidence 
that  Jesus  should  make  use  of  the  same 
symbol  in  speaking  of  the  signs  of  the 
comino-  of  the  Son  of  Man. 


WAR.  UFLKlIoy  ASn  LOVE.  165 

"  Ho^y  curiously  familiar  are  these 
Buddhistic  passages.  I  need  not  repeat 
their  similarities. 

"'Take  then  the  bow  of  earnest  per- 
severance and  the  sharp  arrow  point  of 
wisdom.' 

"'Cover  your  heads  with  a  helmet  of 
good  thoughts  and  fight  with  fixed  pur- 
pose against  the  fi.ve  desires.' 

" '  He  who  turns  his  pound  into  five 
will  be  set  over  five  cities ;  he  who 
turns  it  into  ten,  over  ten  cfties.' 
'  Touch  not  a  woman's  hand  with  cor- 
rupt thoughts.'     '  Commit  no  adultery.' 

"  '  What  men  call  treasures,  when  laid 
up  in  a  deep  pit  profit  nothing  and  may 
easily  be  lost,  but  the  real  treasure  is 
that  laid  up  by  man  or  woman  through 
charity,  piety  and  self-control.'  '  Let 
us  live  happily  together,  not  hating 
those  that  hate  us  ;  let  us  live  free  from 
hatred  among  men.'  '  He  that  observes 
the  law  and  is  compassionate  is  my  dis- 
ciple.' 


I  66  N/-VN  AliSnl,VEP. 

'" '  Look  not  to  any  one  for  a  refuge 
beside  youi'selves.' 

'' '  Let  man  overcome  anger  by  kind- 
ness, evil  by  good." 

••']\[y  law  is  a  hnv  of  gi'ace  for  man.' 

"'lie  ye  kimps  to  yoiii'selves.' 

••'Xeither  aljstinenee  from  eating,  nor 
going  naked,  nor  shaving  the  head,  nor 
diet,  nor  rough  garments,  nor  sacrifice 
will  cleanse  a  man  from  his  delusion." 

"'Fools  i'ollow  after  vanity,  the  man 
of  sense  after  wisdom." 

•••To  abhor  and  cease  from  sin,  absti- 
nence fi'om  sti'ong  drink,  not  to  be  weary 
in  well-doing.  Heverer.ce  and  lowliness, 
contentment  and  ij'ratitude,  the  hearino' 
of  the  law  at  due  seasoji.  to  be  long- 
sufferin<2'  and  meek,  is  the  "'j-eatest  bless- 
ing.' 

"'Strive  on  and  thou  shall  soon  be 
free  from  impurities." 

•'In  almost  the  very  same  words  of 
our  religion  Buddha  taught  that  we 
should  love  our  neighbor  as  ourselves  ; 


WAR.  RELIGlOy  AXD  LOVE.  167 

and  enjoined  npon  the  rich  that  they 
should  devote  one-fourtli  of  their  abund- 
ance to  the  poor.  Virtue  is  frequently 
compared  to  living  Avaters,  and  religion 
to  the  pearl  and  jewels.  'It  is  also,' 
said  he,  'like  the  salt  of  the  ocean,  one 
in  taste  throughout.'  'Do  not  let  it  fall 
into  the  hands  of  fools.'  The  world  he 
compared  to  a  city  of  sand.  'Its  foun- 
dations cannot  endure.' 

"  Let  me  give  you  Buddha's  ten  com- 
mandments ver}^  brieily  : 

'"Do  not  destroy  life.  Do  not  steal. 
Do  not  commit  adultery.  Do  not  tell  a 
falsehood.  Do  not  speak  evil  of  others. 
Do  not  be  greedy.  Do  not  indulge  in 
intoxicating  drinks.  Do  not  be  cruel. 
Do  not  indulge  in  passions.  Do  not  be 
intolerant  and  uncharitable.' 

"Another  strange  similarity  that  is 
strikingly  pathetic  is  the  last  words  of 
these  divine  teachers.  '  Everything  that 
Cometh  into  being  passeth  away,'  said 
Buddha,  as  he  passed  peacefully  away 


i6S  N/-VN  Ai',siii.vi:i). 

in  the  arms  of  his  l)est  liehjved  (lisci[)l(;'. 
Ai'anda  ;  l)ut  liow  sadly  different  were 
the  surroundings  from  which  came  the 
death-cry  of  Jesus  as  he  hung  upon  the 
Koman  cross  :     'It  is  finished.' 

"It  is  said  that  l^uddliism  knows  no  God, 
no  existence  for  the  soul  after  death. 

''  Buddiia's  teaching-  was  more  for  the 
man  of  this  world  than  the  world  to 
come.  His  religion  is  to  show  man 
h(jw  to  become  perfect  in  this  life,  or  to 
attain  and  enjoy  Nirvana,  the  state  of 
peaceful  tranquillity,  on  this  earth.  I  do 
not  believe  that  Nirvana  means  utter 
annihilation  of  the  soul,  but  rather  utter 
annihilation  of  the  body,  its  passions, 
its  evil  dis])ositions,  through  which  the 
soul  becomes  at  y^eace  or  rest  with  the 
world  and  his  fellow  man. 

"If  Buddha  believed  this  state  of 
Nirvana  to  mean  utter  annihilation,  why 
do  the  Buddhists  pray  to  him?  If  there 
is  no  God,  no  Buddha,  why  is  this 
prayer?     Why  pray  at  all? 


WAIi.  RKLKiloy  ASD  LOVE.  169 

" '  Thou,  Buddha,  victor  over  the 
hosts  of  evil,  thou  all-wise  being,  come 
down  to  our  world,  made  perfect  and 
glorified  by  bygone  evolutions  ;  alwa^^s 
pitiful,  always  gentle  towards  all  crea- 
tures ;  look  down  upon  us,  for  the  time 
is  come  to  pour  out  thy  blessing  upon 
the  people.  Be  gracious  to  us  from  thy 
throne  built  in  the  heaven.  Thou  art 
the  eternal  redeemer  of  all  creatures, 
therefore  bow  down  to  us  with  all  thy 
unstained  heavenly  societies.' 

"  In  accounting  for  the  similarities  in 
the  teaching  of  Buddha  and  Jesus,  only 
a  few  of  which  I  have  given,  I  cannot 
but  believe  that  force  of  conditions  and 
the  circumstances  account  satisfactorily 
for  it  all.  In  some  way  or  other  Jesus 
must  have  come  in  contact  with  the 
religion  of  Buddha  and  noted  its  influ- 
ence for  good  to  humanity. 

"  Another  singularity  in  the  history 
of  these  two  religions,  and  Avhat  may  be 
regarded  as  the  connecting  link,  is  the 


N/.YN  AUSULVbirt. 


fact  that  Buddlia  foretold  of  the  com- 
ing of  a  Baddlia  who  would  be  called 
Maitreya,  or  the  teacher  of  love.  May 
it  not  be  that  his  pro])hecy  had  refer- 
ence to  Jesus  of  Galilee?  May  it  not 
be  that  his  mission  was  to  com])lete  the 
works  of  Buddha,  or  was  he  a  re-incar- 
nation of  the  great  teacher?  The  answer 
is  yet  to  come  from  the  ages  yet  to  be. 

"  In  conclusion,  gentlemen,  I  fj-eely 
admit  there  is  no  ])ositive  proof  that 
Jesus  was  in  the  East  during  his  ab- 
sence from  Palestine.  As  he  astounded 
his  teachers  at  the  age  of  twelve,  it  is 
improbable  that  he  was  idle  mentally 
during  the  following  eighteen  years, 
and  there  is  such  a  chain  of  circumstan- 
tial evidence  that  he  did  spend  the  time 
in  oriental  countries,  that  I  have  no 
doubt  u})on  the  subject. 

''It  is  not  denied  by  any  scholar  that 
a  similarity  of  belief,  and  inventions 
aiid  the  conduct  of  the  people  remote 
from  each  other  is  no  evidence  ^^er  se  of 


WAR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  171 

intercommunication.  The  evidence  fur- 
nished by  the  ages  of  stone,  bone,  iron 
and  bronze  having  extended  over  the 
world  is  a  demonstration  that  a  certain 
stage  of  mental  development  produces 
a  similarity  in  conduct  among  people 
never  having  had  any  knowledge  of 
each  other. 

''  It  is  also  true  that  men  in  different 
nations,  remote  from  each  other,  appear 
to  be  merely  a  mouthpiece  or  instru- 
ment through  whom  the  same  thoughts 
or  beliefs  burst  forth,  and  the  beliefs  or 
discoveries  are  simply  concomitants. 
The  discovery  of  the  planet  Uranus  by 
Levarier  of  France  and  Adams  of  Eng- 
land is  a  striking  example,  but  when 
there  is  a  striking  similarity  of  the 
teaching  throughout  the  lives  of  tAVO  or 
more  individuals  —  nay,  almost  absolute 
sameness  —  other  than  natural  causes 
must  be  sought  for  in  explanation. 
There  was  absolutely  nothing  taught  by 
Jesus   that  had   not  been    taught    cen- 


172  ^/^'N  ABSOLVED. 

tiiries  before  by  Zoroaster,  Confucius 
and  Gautama,  ajtd  in  aliiio.'^t  the  same 
ivord.s  ;  the  .'^aine  puriildf^s  were  used,  and 
the  same  allegories.  The  Buddhists"  ten 
commandments  are  in  ahnost  the  identi- 
cal hmguage  of  those  given  by  Moses, 
and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  by  Con- 
fucius and  (rautama  have  in  them 
substantiallv  the  same  language  found 
in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  by  Jesus. 

"  The  commercial  relations  subsisting 
betAveen  India  and  Palestine  would  not 
have  brought  the  savants  learned  in 
•  theological  lore,  but  men  interested  in 
the  material  things  of  life.  Jesus' 
knowledge  of  the  teachings  in  the  East 
must  have  required  years  to  obtain  it. 
It  was  acquired  during  his  long  absence 
from  Palestine,  in  India.  I  believe  fu- 
ture investigation  will  demonstrate  it. 

''  Zoroaster,  Confucius,  Buddha  and 
Jesus  were  alike  able  to  intei-pret  the 
language  of  a  tear,  and  hear  the  voice 
of  a  groan." 


CHAPTER  I  X . 

NO     IDLE     PIIAXTOM. 

Soox  the  noise  and  bustle  of  break- 
ing camp  became  evident,  and  with  the 
marching-  order  of  that  day  began  that 
memoral:»le  countermarch  of  over  three 
hundred  miles.  March,  march,  march, 
onward  they  press,  still  onward,  toward 
the  north  and  home. 

The  rest  was  of  short  duration.  Hood 
made  a  flank  movement,  and  his  army 
pushed  to  the  north  of  Atlanta,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Rome,  Georgia.  Of 
the  movements  of  Sherman's  army,  his 
pursuit  and  his  unsuccessful  eft'ort  to 
force  the  Confederate  army  to  battle, 
the  division  of  the  Union  army  and  his 
march  to  the  sea  with  the  larger  part  of 
it  are  matters  of  history.  Hood's  ob- 
jective point  was  far  to  the  north, 
perhaps  !N^ashville,  or  even  further  north. 
173 


174  N/.VN  AnSdLYED. 

Less  than  two  corps  of  Sherman's  entire 
army  were  left  to  follow,  or  be  followed 
by  the  Confederate  ai-my.  Hood  in  his 
march  north  made  a  desperate  bat  nn- 
snccessfnl  attempt  to  carry  Altoona 
Pass  by  storm,  then  held  and  com- 
manded by  one  of  Iowa's  bravest  men, 
Gen.  John  M.  Corse.  The  generalship 
displayed  l>y  Coi'se,  and  the  gallantry  by 
his  men  on  that  occasion  was  not  snr- 
passed  during  the  war. 

Their  feet  tread  the  same  paths  as 
they  retrace  the  scenes  of  their  recent 
victories.  They  recross  the  battle- 
helds  where  so  lately  the  ground  was 
stained  with  the  lifeblood  of  their  com- 
panions, and  where  the  thousands  of 
nameless  graves  tell  pitiful  tales  of 
widowed  hearts,  of  fatherless  children, 
of  mothers"  longing  arms,  of  vacant 
chairs  at  home. 

The  indifference  of  the  soldiers  at 
that  time  is  something  almost  incompre- 
hensible.    They  made  no  moan  over  the 


WAR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  I  75 

loss  of  comrades,  sought  out  no  graves, 
shed  no  tears.  Their  actions  and  words 
attested  their  indifference  to  death  on 
either  side. 

On  one  occasion  as  they  camped  on 
the  site  of  one  of  the  battles  of  a  few 
weeks  before,  a  sturdy-looking  soldier, 
with  a  bullet-hole  in  his  hat,  pointed  to 
a  single  tree  that  stood  a  few  rods  to 
his  left,  and  with  a  look  that  betrayed 
no  feeling,  scarcely  even  interest,  re- 
marked, "There  is  just  where  I  stood 
when  I  sent  that  rebel  major  to  the 
front  parlor  of  the  Xew  Jerusalem  with 
his  boots  and  spurs." 

Viewed  from  the  age  of  patriotic 
enthusiasm,  we  wonder  their  hearts  did 
not  burst  with  pent-up  feeling,  or  that 
their  thirst  for  vengeance  had  not  over- 
stepped all  bounds  and  resorted  to  the 
atrocities  of  barbarous  nations. 

As  they  passed  the  point  in  the  line 
of  battle  about  Kenesaw  mountain,  oc- 
cupied by  his  division  when  that  disas- 


176  >'/A".V  AnSdLVKTi. 

trous  charge  \yas  made  a  few  weeks 
before.  Wallace  removed  his  hat,  and 
said  to  Coh^nel  Dale,  as  they  rode  for- 
ward :  "•  Here  is  where  so  many  of  my 
boys  answered  to  the  last  roll-call,  and 
are  now  at  })arade  rest.  They  have 
passed  from  the  strife  and  conflict  of 
earthly  life  and  rebel  shot  and  shell  to 
the  quiet  scenes  beyond  the  cold  surges 
of  the  mystic  river.  Xo  more  shall 
reveille  or  battle  disturb  their  repose. 
In  the  serenity  of  death  they  won  ever- 
lasting victory.  Heaven's  doors  stood 
wide  open." 

The  army  halted  for  dinner  near  a 
beautiful  spi'ing  that  poured  out  of  the 
hillside.  A  log  house,  minus  much  of 
the  ''  chinking  and  dobing/'  and  the 
roof  having  the  appearance  of  having 
seen  better  days,  stood  near  to  it  in  a 
clearing  of  about  fifteen  acres  of  land, 
situated  on  a  steep  hillside,  surrounded 
by  a  rail  fence  that  gave  evidence  of  the 
camp  fires  by  both  I'nion  and  Confeder- 


WAR.  RELIGIOX  AXD  LOVE.  l-JJ 

ate  armies.  As  Wallace  and  his  staflf 
rode  lip  to  ask  about  the  missing  gourd 
at  the  spring,  a  typical  southerner  of 
about  sixty-five  years  emerged  from  the 
shanty.  "  He  wore  a  gray  suit,  that 
would  have  been  improved  by  several 
Cleveland  badges,  a  slouch  hat  with  a 
broad  brim,  and  a  pair  of  cow-hide 
boots  with  ample  means  of  ventilation, 
into  which  his  pantlegs  were  tucked. 
Both  his  unsocked  great  toes  were 
plainly  visible.  His  hair  was  long  and 
cut  square ;  his  beard  had  the  beauty 
and  simplicity  of  nature  untouched  ;  his 
shirt  was  open  far  down  for  want  of 
buttons  ;  his  pants  were  cut  barn-door 
fashion,  and  the  button  on  one  side 
necessary  to  retain  the  flap  in  position, 
was  absent.  Two  crippled  horses,  left 
by  the  Confederate  cavalry,  limped  up 
the  hillside,  and  a  cow  that  was  no 
temptation,  even  to  soldiers  living  on 
short  rations  of  salt  meat,  was  tied  to 
an  old  wagon  without  a  bed.     He  said. 


IjS  S'/.VS  ABSOLVED. 

as  he  squirted  a  mouthful  of  tobacco 
juice  over  the  bare  heads  of  four  or  five 
of  his  children  tiiat  had  followed  him  out 
of  the  liouse, —  a  part  of  it  remaining- 
on  his  mustache  and  beard,  —  "  Well, 
(rineral,  youens  is  here  agin." 

"Yes,"  said  WaHace,  ''and  I  su})pose 
you  are  glad  to  see  us.  You  are  a 
Union  man?  " 

'"Yes,  (rineral,  I  am  a  good  Union 
man.  I  told  the  old  woman  just  yester- 
that  youens  had  treated  us  a  derned 
sight  better  than  Aveuns  had.  Y^ou  see, 
(xineral,  I  am  not  what  the  college  chaps 
call  educated.  I  can't  read  nor  write, 
l)ut  the  old  wonuin  says  uater  did  a 
power  for  me,  and  she's  a  purty  good, 
sound  thinker,  I  tell  you.  Y  ou  see.  I 
catch  onto  things  right  smai-t.  I  heard 
Gineral  Jackson  say.  ni'  twenty  years 
ago,  that  a  wise  man  could  change  his 
mind  Avlien  it  was  necessary,  but  a  fool 
couldn't  do  it  at  all.  When  Johnson's 
army  passed  here.  I  didn't  think  as  I  do 


Tr.4jR,  RKLIGiny  AND  LOVE.  lyg 

now.  Yes,  Gineral,  I  am  solid  for  the 
Union." 

"Xoii  seem  to  be  pretty  well  fixed, 
and  to  be  happy  and  contented,"  said 
Wallace. 

''Yes,  Gineral,''  he  said,  "'I  came  here 
thirty  years  ago  a  poor  man.  Me  and 
the  old  woman  has  worked  hard,  and  we 
have  saved  what  we  made.  'Pears  to  me 
nearly  everybody  makes  lots  of  money, 
bnt  the  p'int  is,  they  don't  save  it.  All 
you  see,  Gineral,  is  mine,  and  it's  paid 
for,  too  ; ''  and,  taking  another  chew  of 
tobacco,  he  continued  with  a  knowing- 
smile,  "it  hain't  ornamented  with  a 
mortgage,  e'ther.'' 

"Have  you  a  large  plantation?"  said 
Wallace. 

"  Yes,  Gineral,  purty  large  —  about 
thirty  acres,  but  I  got  it  by  industry. 
I  have  not  been  out  of  the  county  since 
I  came  here,  and  I  have  only  been  to 
Cassville,  seven  miles,  once  in  fifteen 
3^ears." 


I  80  S/:\'N  ABSOL  VED. 

''Are  there  any  Unitarians  in  this 
neighborhood?"  said  AValkice. 

'•  T  don't  know,  sah  ;  I  never  seed  any  ; 
but  some  varmint  has  carried  olf  what 
few  chickens  we  liad  left  after  John- 
son's army  passed  through,  and.  if  they 
like  ch.ickens,  I  reckon  that's  Avhere 
they  have  gone."' 

The  chaplain  had  I'idden  up  in  time  to 
hear  what  the  planter  said,  and  he,  in  a 
grave  and  serious  manner,  said:  '"My 
dear  sir.  I  know  all  about  I^nitarians  ; 
they  have  infested  the  state  in  which  I 
live  for  years,  and  I  say  to  you  they  are 
awfully  dangerous.  They  are  even 
more  to  be  dreaded  on  account  of  your 
children  than  your  chickens,  a//(f  tJieij 
(ire  alarniinyhi  fond  of  clricJiens." 

"Be  they  big  varmints?"  said  the 
planter. 

'' Biy/"  said  the  chaplain,  "I  saw  one 
not  a  mile  liack  in  the  timber  that  would 
Aveigh  two  hundred  pounds  dressed." 

The  old  man  looked  around  to  see  if 


WAR,  Rf:LIGIOy  AND  LOVE.  l8l 

any  of  the  children  were  gone,  and,  as 
he  squirted  a  mouthful  of  tobacco  juice, 
part  of  which  fell  on  Wallace's  boots, 
said  nervously,  "  Lord,  children,  run  to 
3^our  mother." 

Slowly  but  steadily  the  army  pressed 
on  till  the  days  grew  into  weeks  and  the 
weary  weeks  dragged  on  to  months. 
ISTo  battles,  no  skirmishes,  no  opposition 
of  any  description  broke  the  monotony 
of  their  long  tramp.  They  almost 
longed  for  the  smell  of  powder,  the 
roar  of  the  artillery,  the  crash  of  the 
musketry.  But  though  Hood's  army 
moved  northward  at  the  same  time, 
almost  parallel  with  our  line  of  march, 
and  at  a  distance  of  from  ten  to  fifty 
miles,  our  troops  sought  no  encounter, 
for  his  men  numbered  three  to  our 
one. 

The  fare  was  poor  and  the  men 
showed  little  relish  for  their  daily  ra- 
tions of  bacon,  beans  and  hardtack. 
ISTot  a  few  sickened  and  died. 


I  82  >'/-V.s-  AI}S<JLVh:D. 

Jnst  as  the  shades  of  evening  began 
to  fall  between  the  day  and  the  night 
the  ai'mv  pitched  its  tents  and  biv- 
onacked  for  the  night  in  a  clearing  from 
Avhich  the  bridge  three  miles  S(juth  of 
Kesaca  was  })lainly  visible.  AV'allace 
and  Dale  withont  the  interchange  of  a 
word.  Init  as  if  impelled  by  the  same 
invisible  forces,  walked  together  in  the 
direction  of  the  bridge. 

In  the  mind  of  each  were  visions  of 
the  vast  difference  in  the  effects  of  an 
action  done  or  left  nndone.  Thoughts 
of  all  the  brave  men  Avho  had  gone  down 
to  death  during  the  late  campaign  surged 
over  Wallace.  A  feeling  of  supersti- 
tion, of  something  uncanny,  of  some- 
thing almost  supernatural,  oppressed 
him.  He  Ivuit  his  brows,  drew  himself 
to  his  full  height  and  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders as  something  very  like  a  shudder 
passed  over  liim.  In  vain  he  sought  to 
dispel  this  feeling,  to  cast  it  aside  as 
some  thing  un  w  orth  j . 


WAR.  EELIGTOy  AXD  LOVE.  183 

At  length  he  spoke.  "  Is  your  mind 
also  beset,  Dick,  with  doubts,  as  you 
gaze  at  yonder  bridge?  Does  there 
come  to  you  the  haunting  image  of  what 
might  have  been  the  issue  if  it  had  been 
burned,  cutting  off  Johnson's  supplies 
and  his  means  of  escape?  True,  he 
would  probably  have  thrown  his  whole 
force  on  our  division,  but  even  had  we 
been  completely  annihilated  the  cost 
would  have  been  so  infinitely  small  com- 
pared to  the  price  that  has  been  paid  in 
human  lives. 

"  The  brightest  of  those  lives  that  has 
gone  out  forever  on  this  earth  still  casts  a 
radiance  that  will  illuminate  all  time  to 
come,  and  leaves  a  halo  round  the  name 
of  General  McPherson. 

"  How  gladly  would  I  exchange  my 
lot  for  his  I  How  gladly  give  him  back 
to  earth,  to  life,  and  in  his  stead  lie 
camly  down  to  sleep  the  sleep  of  death  ; 
and  then,  perchance  to  wake  where 
Agnes  waits,  and  hand  in  hand  with  her 


1S4  N/.A.S  ABSoLYKTi. 

live  on  through  all  etei'iiitv  !  "  Unshed 
tears  glistened  in  his  eyes  and  his  strong 
form  trembled  with  emotion  as  he  con- 
tinued :  "  I  know  it  is  not  far  to  where 
she  waits,  for  day  by  day  I  feel  her 
presence  ;  I  feel  her  guiding-  hand  and 
her  protecting  influence.  Before  each 
l)attle,  aye,  on  the  very  field  of  battle, 
this  feeling  is  so  strong  within  me  that 
her  name  springs  involuntarily  to  my 
lips.  Dick,  oh,  Dick,  is  this  a  phantom 
of  my  brain,  or  is  the  veil  so  thin  be- 
tween this  life  and  the  next  that  love 
can  pierce  its  film  and  hold  communion 
with  the  soul?  Is  she  my  guardian 
angel?  '' 

Overcome  with  agitation,  his  voice 
choked  with  sobs ;  Dale  extended  his 
hand  to  his  friend  as  he  exclaimed,  "  It  is 
no  idle  phantom  ;  surely,  surely,  you  two 
stand  soul  to  soul  and  heart  to  heart." 

At  daybreak  the  following  morning 
the  camp  Avas  astir  with  preparations 
for  continuino-  the  march. 


ir.l7i'.  RELKilOX  AXD  LOVE.  185 

After  a  march  of  tliree  miles  the  army 
reached  Kesaca,  and  here  occurred  one 
of  those  pleasant  things  which  history, 
intent  npon  the  outcome  of  a  strug-gle, 
io-iiores  as  unimportant.  But  to  those 
fifteen  thousand  ill-fed  men  it  was  no 
little  thing.  It  filled  a  long  felt  Avant, 
it  touched  a  vital  spot.  There  were  sit- 
uated in  this  town  seven  bakeries,  and 
when  news  reached  there  that  the  steady 
tramp,  tramp  of  the  nation's  heroes 
Avould  bring  them  to  that  immediate 
vicinity,  each  of  these  bakeries  must 
have  carried  on  operations  to  the  utmost 
extent  of  its  capacity,  for  upon  the  ar- 
I'ival  of  the  army  every  man  became  the 
sole  possessor  of  a  loaf  of  baker's  bread. 
The  rejoicing  of  these  men  over  a  single 
loaf  of  bread  was  something  pathetic. 
Great,  rough,  brawny  men  and  delicate, 
pale-faced  boys  marched  on  side  by 
side,  bearing  their  precious  burdens, 
laughing,  singing,  shouting.  On  they 
marched  into   the   depth   of  the   forest, 

13 


iS6 


N/.V.S  AliSoLVKl). 


that  thickly  \v()()(Uh1  tracM  that  strotchi'd 
ahnost  tlie  U'li^-th  of  the  lumdreds  of 
miles  that  lay  hetween  theiu  aiul  ('o- 
liiml)ia.  Tennessee. 

The  only  sonnds  were  the  resounding- 
echo  of  that  niig-hty  condensed  tread 
and  the  startled  notes  of  the  sweet  wild 
hii'ds. 


CIIAPTEK  X. 

FKOM  COLUMBIA  TO  XASHVILLE. 

Late  in  jSTovember  the  Union  army, 
consisting  of  two  depleted  corps,  with 
a  less  fighting  force  than  1J:,()00,  con- 
fronted General  Hood  and  his  army  of 
more  than  55,000  fighting  men  at  Co- 
lumbia, Tennessee.  General  Schofield, 
who  was  the  ranking  general,  had  been 
compelled  to  leave  the  city  and  cross 
the  river  late  in  the  afternoon.  -  We 
then  believed,  and  I  now  believe,  Hood 
had  misled  Schofield  as  to  the  point  at 
which  he  intended  to  cross  the  river. 
A  small  Union  force  had  been  sent  up 
the  river  to  prevent  his  crossing  at  that 
point.  That  force  was  intercepted  by 
Hood's  army,  and  did  not  participate  in 
the  battle  at  Franklin  two  days  later, 
but  were  compelled  to  cross  the  Ten- 
nessee river  and  come  to  the   army   at 


i8S 


s/.vs   in^iif.vHii. 


Xaslivile  ten  days  later.  Whetlier  any 
bluiidei'  was  made  in  sending'  a  foree  to 
that  i)(>int  where  Hood  did  not  cross  nor 
attempt  to  ei'oss,  fntui'e  liistory  will  de- 
termine. Hood  cro.-sed  the  river  two 
miles  below,  and  at  or  abont  the  time 
Schotield  crossed  at  ('olnml)ia.  Several 
Confetlerate  batteries  were  hurried  into 
Colnml)ia  as  soon  as  it  was  evacuated  by 
the  Union  forces  ;  for  the  shelling  con- 
tinued from  that  side  of  the  river  until 
we  were  out  of  range  of  their  guns. 

When  a  half  a  mile  from  the  river, 
General  Wallace  was  taking  a  cai-eful 
survey  of  the  Confederate  batteries 
with  his  glass,  and  his  orderly  was 
standing  near  him.  A  solid  shot  from 
one  of  the  Confederate  guns  struck  the 
ground  al)out  twenty  rods  from  where 
they  stood  ;  it  ricochetted.  and  on  its 
upward  motion  struck  the  orderly  on 
the  side  of  his  head  and  took  it  off 
down  to  his  lower  jaw.  The  Genei-afs 
clothing    was    spotted    with    blood    and 


WAR.  RKLIOIOX  ASD  LOVK.  189 

brain.  With  tears  in  his  eves,  the  Gen- 
eral said  :  ''  A  strange  fatality  comes 
to  my  orderlies  ;  this  is  five  I  have  had 
killed  in  battle.  That  shot,  however, 
was  intended  for  me." 

The  march  for  Spring  Hill,  situated 
midway  between  Columbia  and  Frank- 
lin, and  ten  miles  from  either,  was 
begun.  When  about  three  or  four  miles 
on  the  way,  Greneral  Wallace  sent  an 
order  to  Colonel  Dale,  who  had  com- 
mand of  his  regiment,  to  go  back  and 
guard  a  cross-road  leading  over  to  the 
stone  pike,  running  almost  parallel  with 
the  one  on  which  the  Union  army  was 
moving. 

The  road  was  soon  found  and  a  strong 
picket  line  established.  Within  an  horn- 
after  the  pickets  were  on  duty  our  en- 
tire army,  wagon  train,  ambulances  and 
ordnance  had  passed  ;  the  only  sound  to 
be  heard  was  the  rumbling  made  by 
Hood's  army,  less  than  two  miles  to  our 
right,    on    the    stone    pike   leading   to 


igO  >7.\S  AllSdLVHD. 

Spring-  Hill.  After  an  hour  Hood's 
entire  ai'iny  had  passed,  and  no  sound 
was  heard  ;  the  stillness  was  painful. 
The  entire  regiment  excei)t  the  })ickets, 
Colonel  Dale  and  myself,  slept  as 
soundly  as  if  they  had  been  at  home. 
The  ( 'ohniel  and  I  walked  back  and 
forth  ahnig  the  ])ike,  expecting  to  be 
captured  l)y  the  Confederate  cavalry,  if 
he  did  not  receive  order  soon  reliev- 
ing him  from  duty  at  that  point.  ]S^o 
order  came.  He  was  not  known  to  be 
nervous  dui'ing  his  army  life  except  on 
that  occasion. 

He  said:  "1  fear  the  Confederate 
cavalry  are  now  between  us  and  our 
command,  but  I  dare  not  leave  this  place 
without  orders,  especially  so  as  it  Avas 
(General  Wallace  who  gave  me  the  order 
to  gtiard  this  road.'" 

After  an  hour's  consultation,  he  de- 
termined that  an  order  relieving  him  had 
probably  been  sent,  and  that  the  mes- 
sena'er  had  encountered  the  Confeder- 


UAH.  UKLKiKiy  ASD  LoVi:.  igi 

ate  cavalry  and  had  been  killed.  AYe 
learned  fi'oni  AYallace,  the  next  day, 
that  such  an  order  was  sent,  hut  it  was 
not  received  and  the  messenf''er  is 
a  mono-  the  "missing." 

The  regiment  was  waked,  the  pickets 
called  in.  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were 
marching  at  a  rapid  pace  toward  Spring- 
Hill.  Every  man  then  appeared  to  a])- 
])reciate  the  situation.  Our  own  com- 
mand at  least  six  miles  away,  and  it  was 
probable  that  Hood's  army  was  in  cam]) 
covering  our  road.  We  had  gone  less 
than  two  miles  when  we  were  fired  on 
by  cavalry  in  our  front.  The  regiment 
was  deployed  in  line  of  battle.  The 
command  to  charge  was  given  by  Dale 
in  a  shrill  tone  that  rang  through  the 
forest,  and  its  echo  came  back  two  dis- 
tinct times,  followed  by  a  roll  of  mus- 
ketry that  I  seem  to  hear  yet.  A  volley 
at  night  is  very  dift'erent  from  a  volley 
in  the  day.  The  cavalry  disappeared,, 
the  march   was  resumed   and    no    other 


192  N/.VN  AllSliLVHI) 

obstacle  was  found  in  onr  way.  We 
reached  Spring-  Hill  at  2  o'clock  in  the 
morning-. 

When  we  came  in  sight,  there  ap- 
peared to  our  riglit  what  appeared  to 
me  like  ten  thousand  cani})-iires,  extend- 
ing u})  to  within  twenty  rods  of  the 
road  on  which  we  were  marching.  We 
did  not  know  whether  they  were  Union 
or  Confederate  soldiers,  and  we  came 
near  going  straight  to  them  Avhen  we 
came  to  Spring  Hill,  which  I  suppose 
had  in  it  thirty  or  forty  houses.  The 
night  was  dark ;  our  infantry  was 
asleep  lying  along  the  road  ;  the  wagon 
train,  ambulances  and  artillery  were 
mixed  in  such  a  confusion  that  an  at- 
tack by  Hood  at  that  time  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  disastrous. 

A¥e  did  not  find  (leneral  Wallace  that 
night,  but  continued  our  march  until  we 
were  at  the  head  of  the  column.  When 
orders  to  move  were  given,  we  were  in 
the   front,    and    we   were   the   first   into 


Tr.4i?,  EELIGloy  AND  LOVE.  I93 

Franklin  about  8  o'clock  the  next 
morning'.  We  at  that  time  believed 
General  Cleburne  cried  because  Hood 
would  not  give  the  order  for  a  nig-ht  at- 
tack. I  have  heard  in  the  last  year  that 
Hood  gave  the  order  and  it  was  not  exe- 
cuted. What  the  facts  were  may  never 
be  known,  as  General  Cleburne  and  nine 
other  Confederate  generals  were  killed 
the  next  day  at  the  battle  of  Franklin. 

General  Wallace  and  his  command 
arrived  about  an  hour  later,  at  9  o'clock, 
and  Colonel  Dale  reported  to  him  in 
person,  expecting  a  reprimand,  or  even 
more  severe  punishment,  for  disobeying 
his  orders. 

The  General  took  both  of  his  hands 
and  said:  "Colonel  Dale,  God  bless 
you.  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you.  I  have 
been  in  torture  all  night,  fearing  you 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
or  even  something  worse." 

"  But,  General,  I  disobeyed  orders, 
and  the  order  was  in  your  handwriting. 


and    it    wa-^    IjL'causc    it    war^   yoin'  <ir(hr 
that  I  dreaded  so  imicli  to  diso1)ey  it." 

••('oloiicd.  you  ha\'c  never  (lis()l)eyed 
an  order  in  your  life.  It  was  liastih' 
written  and  was  imperfect  :  it  ouu;-ht  to 
have  said.  •  "lOu  ai'e  relieved  wlien  the 
eiitire  eoniniand  has  passed,"  \  on  sim- 
ply supplemented  the  order  with  your 
own  good  judgment.  Tiie  awful  danger 
to  which  you  and  that  regiment  wei'e 
exi)osed  ahnost  unnerves  me  now.  I 
know,  ratliei-  than  to  have  been  cap- 
tured, you  would  have  fought  Hood's 
entire  army,  with  the  inevitable  result 
of  every  man  having  been  killed.  Why, 
even  before  the  last  of  our  column  had 
reached  Spring  Hill,  the  Confederate 
camp-fires  extended  from  a  point  not 
thirty  I'ods  from  our  road,  a  mile  away  ; 
and  the  Colonel  of  the  124th  Indiana 
regimt'ut  rode  u[)  witliin  speaking  dis- 
tance of  the  camp-tii-e  and  said,  'What 
regiment  is  this?"  The  answer  came, 
'What's  left  of  the  3()th  Alabama.' 


)VAH.  RHLKUOX  AND  LOVE.  1 95 

''  I  am  glad  to  see  you ;  first,  for  your 
own  safety,  and  second,  we  shall  need  you 
before  the  sun  goes  down.  Mark  my 
words,  Hood  is  going  to  play  for  great 
stakes  to-day.  He  has  three  men  to 
our  one,  the  river  is  somewhat  swollen, 
the  bridge  is  gone,  and  we  have  not 
time  to  pontoon  it  and  cross  before  he 
is  upon  us.  We  shall  have  to  Jight  hint 
right  here,  and  hefore  night.  Hood  and 
his  army  have  the  strongest  induce- 
ments held  out  to  them  to  do  deeds  of 
daring  presented  during  the  war.  If 
our  army  is  crushed  and  captured.  Hood 
will  be  in  ]!S^ashville  to-morrow,  the  next 
day  in  Louisville,  and  he  can  then  march 
over  Indiana  and  Ohio  at  his  pleasure. 
Sherman  is  on  his  way  to  '  the  sea.' 
Grant  has  need  of  his  entire  army.  If, 
therefore,  Hood  is  successful  to-day, 
there  is  absolutely  no  barrier  to  his 
spreading  desolation  over  the  Xorth. 
Over  and  above  even  that,  Hood  is  per- 
sonally   ambitious.      If     he    wins    and 


196  -S/.YS  AnSliLVKD. 

invades  the  Xorth,  his  reputation  as  a 
general  is  established. 

"You  will  personally  superintend  the 
construction  of  the  entire  line  of  breast- 
works to  be  occupied  by  my  command. 
See  that  they  are  as  good  as  they  can  be 
made.  Have  a  trench  dug  wide  enough, 
at  the  most  exposed  i)oints  of  the  line, 
for  two  or  three  men  to  stand  in,  so  that 
those  in  the  rear  can  load  while  the 
front  line  does  the  firing."  Before  2 
o'clock  the  entire  command  had  arrived, 
and  fairly  good  breast- works  were  com- 
pleted, extending  from  the  river  above 
to  the  river  below,  a  distance  of  about 
three  -  fourths  of  a  mile,  embracing 
Franklin  in  a  semi-circle.  Both  otR- 
cers  and  men  in  Hood's  entire  army  were 
confident  of  victory,  and  their  enthusi- 
asm was  wrought  to  the  highest  point. 
Even  the  intrepid  and  scholarly  Cle- 
burne said  to  General  Hood  that  day 
that  he  "never  had  so  much  confidence 
in  the  ultimate  success  of  our  cause." 


WAR,  nELTGION  AND  LOVE.  197 

They  were  promised  new  clothing', 
equipments  of  all  kinds,  and  army 
supplies  that  were  stored  in  ISTashville. 
Hood  Avas  jubilant ;  he  was  confident 
that  he  would  either  capture  us  or  drive 
us  into  the  river. 

Two  of  our  bi'igades  were  stationed  in 
line  of  battle  about  fifteen  hundred  feet 
in  advance  of  our  main  line,  and  they 
had  throAvn  up  very  light  earth-works. 
General  Wallace  remonstrated  against 
any  force  whatever  in  front  of  our  line 
of  battle,  not  even  a  picket  line  was 
necessary,  much  less  two  brigades ; 
there  was  nothing  to  obstruct  the  view. 
We  can  see  when  the  charge  begins,  if 
it  is  a  mile  away,  and  whatever  force  is 
in  front  of  our  main  line  will  be  swept 
back  with,  or  just  before,  the  advancing 
Confederate  line  of  battle,  and  ma^-  de- 
lay the  firing  by  our  men,  or  endanger 
the  lives  of  our  own  men. 

A  little  after  2  o'clock  indications  of 
the  approaching  battle  were  seen  by  the 


IqS  S/.VS  ABSdJ^VKlt. 

nKncMiK'iits  of  Iloocrs  ariiiv  a  mile  di^^- 
tant.  The  waviii";-  of  siiiiial-lla,^-;^.  and 
soon  tlu'i'eaftcr  the  foi'ination  of  the  line 
of  battle.  About  4  o'elock  in  the  aftei'- 
noon  their  lines  moved  foi'ward  in 
splendid  ordei',  as  if  on  dress  parade, 
their  eolors  th>atinij;'  in  the  bret^ze.  and 
their  arms  at  right-shoulder  shift.  As 
they  a[)[)roaehed  our  skirmish  line  the 
( 'onfedei'ate  yell  was  heai'd  all  along  the 
line  :  they  struek  the  double  quick  and 
])ressed  forward  with  the  determination 
of  heroes.  ()ur  skirmish  line  was  swept 
back  on  the  two  brigades;  the  bris'ade 
gave  way  and  were  hurled  back  on  our 
main  line  in  utter  confusion.  Our  tlying 
brigades,  our  skirmish  line  and  the  Con- 
federate lines  struck  our  fortification  at 
the  same  time.  The  firing  from  our  line 
of  works  was  })revented  by  the  approach 
of  our  own  men.  The  charge  was  so 
impetuous  that  many  Confederates  fell 
headlong  over  the  works  and  were  bay- 
onetted  before  thev  regained  their  feet. 


WAi!.  i:i:L[(ii(ty  jyo  love.  igg 

A  hand  to  hand  eonfiict  to  death  took 
place  in  the  rear  of  ont  entrenchment. 
A  superior  Confedei'ate  force  was  over- 
powering our  line  ;  it  wavered,  and  for 
a  moment  our  works  to  the  left  of  the 
center  of  our  line  was  in  Confederate 
hands.  Those  were  awful  moments.  A 
yell  of  victory  with  increased  despera- 
tion came  from  all  along  the  Confeder- 
ate line.  At  this  moment  General 
Wallace,  General  Stanley  and  Colonel 
Dale  rode  their  horses  right  up  to  and 
into  the  fiercest  part  of  the  conflict,  re- 
formed the  line  and,  with  their  swords, 
dealt  death  around  them  and  drove  the 
Confederates  out  of  our  entrenchments. 
Genei'al  Stanley  was  shot  from  his  horse 
just  as  the  repulse  was  complete.  They 
retired  sullenly  beyond  the  crest  of  the 
hill  in  our  front  and  reformed  their 
lines.  Their  loss  had  l)een  very  great. 
General  Gordon  was  captured  with  over 
one  thousand  prisoners,  and  many  battle 
flags.     General    Adams   and    his    horse 


S/.VN  AUSdl.VKI). 


were  killed  while  hi^  hor^e  was  astride 
of  our  works.  In  a  few  minutes  another 
desperate  ehai'ge  was  made  all  along  our 
line,  and  was  repulsed  with  tei'rible 
slaui;'hter. 

Between  4  oYdoek  and  midnight 
twelve  eharges  were  made,  and  were 
every  time  I'epulsed  with  heavy  Con- 
federate loss,  1  think  it  no  exaggera- 
tion to  say  the  most  desperate  lighting 
of  the  war  was  at  the  Ijattle  of  Frank- 
lin. The  Confedei'ate  generals  led 
their  men  with  great  desperation  and 
unsurpassed  personal  courage,  and  paid 
for  their  rashness  Avith  their  lives.  Here 
fell  the  Confederate  Generals  Scott, 
Quarrels,  Strahl.  (iist,  Cochrell,  Alanin- 
wault,  Cleburne.  Ci'anbury.  and  General 
Carter  who  fell  from  his  horse  mortally 
wounded  and  died  within  sight  of  his 
own  house,  lie  was  found  early  next 
morning  by  his  sister.  The  loss  of  the 
Confederate  ofhcers  was  so  great  that 
in  several   instances  a  captain   was    the 


n:iR.  BKLUlION  AXD  LoVE.  20I 

ranking  officer  in  a  brigade.  General 
Cleburne  was  killed  in  the  second 
charge,  while  his  horse  was  astride  our 
works.  The  especially  sad  and  tragic 
death  of  General  Carter,  within  a  few 
rods  of  his  own  palatial  mansion,  was 
regretted   even   by  the  Union   soldiers. 

By  reference  to  the  records,  it  w^ill  be 
found  that  the  Confederate  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Frankin 
w^as  greater  in  proportion  to  the  num- 
ber engaged  than  in  any  other  battle  of 
the  late  war.  The  rapid  and  precise 
firing  of  our  men  was  not  equaled  in- 
any  other  battle.  The}'  stood  up  three 
deep  in  the  rifle-pits,  and  the  rear  rank& 
loaded  while  the  front  rank  did  the 
firing.  The  Confederate  army  lost  in 
the  battle  of  Franklin,  in  killed, 
wounded,  prisoiTers  and  missing,  about 
13,000  men. 

A  calm  and  dispassionate  reflection, 
after  thirty  years,  upon  the  cause  that 
led  to  victory  and  prevented  defeat  — 


N/.VN   AliStiI,\-i:ii 


a  defeat  that  would  have  been  as  de- 
plorable as  a  defeat  would  have  l)een  at 
Gettysbur<>\  and  in  the  same  way,  of  an 
invasion  of  the  Xorth  l)v  the  Confeder- 
ate army  —  was  largely,  if  not  wholly, 
due  to  the  ])ersonal  gallanti-y.  and  ]jer- 
haps  unequaled  true  heroism  of  (ieneral 
Wallace  and  Colonel  Dale,  (xenei-al 
Schofield's  headquarters,  during  the 
entire  battle  and  before  it  begun,  was 
at  the  fort  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  a  mile  and  a  half  distant.  It  is 
true  General  Stanley  rode  with  Wallace 
and  Dale  into  the  most  deadly  ])art  of 
the  conflict,  but  he  was  early  in  the 
first  charge  shot  in  the  neck  and  fell 
from  his  horse.  In  every  one  of  the 
tw^elve  separate  and  distinct  charges 
made  by  the  determined  Confederate 
army,  led  by  brave  »nd  reckless  gen- 
erals, they  were  in  the  saddles  and  as 
near  the  trench  in  the  rear  of  the  breast- 
works as  it  was  ])ossible  to  be.  The 
unbounded  confidence  in  General  Wal- 


WAR.  RELKtKiX  A\D  UtVE.  203 

lace  by  every  soldier,  the  cool,  steady 
gaze  of  his  great,  blue  eyes,  his 
earnest,  kind  words,  "  Stand  firm,  boys, 
there  is  victory  in  the  air,''  and  his 
imperial  personage  made  him  a  tower  of 
strength. 

The  dashing  valor  of  Colonel  Dale  — 
he  was  where  the  line  w^as  most  pressed, 
wherever  the  bullets  were  the  thickest, 
there  was  seen  his  girlish,  smiling 
face,  and  it  was  always  a  talisman  of 
hope.  That  either  of  them  survived 
the  battle  seems  to  have  been  almost  a 
miracle.  General  Wallace  had  ten  bul- 
let marks  in  his  clothing ;  one  of  his 
shoulder-straps  was  shot  away,  there 
were  three  holes  through  his  hat,  and 
the  rest  were  through  his  coat.  Colonel 
Dale  had  two  bullet  holes  through  his 
hat,  his  sword-belt  was  cut  in  two  by  a 
saber,  and  he  lost  the  belt  and  the  scab- 
bard ;  his  sword  was  knocked  from  his 
hand  by  a  bullet,  but  he  dismounted  and 
got  it  again  ;    three   buttons  were  shot 


204  S/.VN  ABSiiLVHD. 

off  liis  coat.  There  were  in  all  seveii- 
teen  bullet  marks  and  a  saber  cut  in  his 
clothing-,  without  a  scratch  on  his  person. 
Before  2  o'clock  in  the  morning  onr  en- 
tire force  had  ci'ossed  the  river,  and  on 
the  evening-  of  that  day  we  were  in 
Nashville. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THAT  CHAPLAIX  AGAIN. 

"  Good  morning,   General  Wallace." 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Calvin ;  come 
in." 

''  If  it  is  not  an  intrusion,  General,  I 
would  like  to  congratulate  you  upon 
your  miraculous  escape  from  the  dan- 
ger of  the  battle  at  Franklin." 

"  It  is  no  intrusion  ;  I  am  always  glad 
to  see  my  old  chaplain,  and  here  is 
Colonel  Dale." 

.  "  You  are  both  here  because  of  God's 
protecting  care,  for  which  I  have 
thanked  Him  in  prayer,  as  I  suppose 
you  have  both  done.  I  had  a  splendid 
opportunity  to  see  the  awful  grandeur 
of  a  battle  with  nothing  but  the  smoke 
to  obscure  the  view.  In  all  the  other 
battles  I  saw  almost  nothing  for  the 
heavy  timber  prevented  a  view  of  what 
205 


2o6  N/.V.S  Aiis<}Lri:r). 

was  happenin<i;\  except  the  movements 
very  iieai-  to  me.  It  is  true  at  Pittsbiiro- 
Landing-  and  Cliickamanii-a.  at  Stone 
liivei".  and  once  or  twice  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  I  saw  yon  begin  a  charge  and 
nothing  more,  but  at  Franklin  I  saw  it 
all,  until  the  smoke  became  so  dense 
that  everything  disappeared.  The  sur- 
geons informed  me  that  the  temporary 
hospital  w(tuld  be  at  the  chui'ch,  directly 
in  the  rear  of  where  you  sat  on  your 
horse.  I  went  into  the  belfry  to  be  out 
of  danger  and  to  n-ntcli  a  Ixittle.  I  saw 
the  Confederate  lines  of  battle  formed 
a  mile  away.  I  saw  them  start  ;  I  saw 
them  when  they  struck  a  double-quick, 
as  you  call  it.  It  appeared  to  me  like  a 
careless  trot,  as  if  they  were  in  a  little 
hurry  to  get  to  a  picnic.  There  were 
five  distinct  lines  of  battle,  and  they 
carried  their  guns  at  right  shoulder 
shift  until  they  were  within  two  hun- 
dred yards  of  our  works.  Their  anxiety 
and  gait  increased  as  they   neared   our 


IT.l/.',  RFAAGIOX  AyD  LOVE.  207 

line.  I  saw  the  impetuosity  with  Avhich 
they  Avoulcl  strike  our  works.  Their 
ofiicers  were  all  mouuted  and  almost  in 
the  line  of  battle,  their  swords  blazing- 
in  the  sun,  their  colors  flying,  and  when 
the  Confederate  yell  broke  forth  I 
trembled  for  the  safety  of  our  line.  I 
saAv  you,  General  Stanle}^  and  Colonel 
Dale  sitting*  unconcernedly  on  your 
horses,  and  I  watched  with  breathless 
anxiety  to  see  both  batteries  of  six 
guns  each,  situated  directly  in  your 
front.  oi)en  fire.  The}'  were  still  as  the 
graves,  when  it  appeared  to  me  they 
ought  to  be  belching  forth  grape  and 
canister  upon  the  Confederate  line 
rapidh'  approaching  and  now  very  near 
our  works.  I  heard  the  crash,  I  felt 
the  shock;  the  Confederate  colors  were 
planted  on  our  breast-works ;  our  line 
wavered  and  gave  way.  At  a  point  in 
3'our  front  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  giv- 
ing way  on  both  sides  of  the  center  of 
our  w^orks,  now  actually  in  the  Confed- 


20S  S/.YS  An.<(i[.VKr>. 

erate  hands.  I  closed  my  eves,  dread- 
ing the  worst,  and  said.  'May  God  and 
AVallaee  ])re\ent  an  utter  I'out.'  AVhen 
I  opened  them  again,  (xeneral  Stanley 
was  falling  from  his  hoi'se.  You  ap- 
peared collossal  in  size  ;  your  horse  at 
the  breast-woi'ks.  youi-  s\voi"d  high  above 
your  head.  I  heai'd  your  words,  "Stand 
firm.  boys,  thei'e  is  \ietory  in  the  air.' 
I  saw  Colonel  Dale  have  a  hand-to-hand 
encounter  with  a  mounted  Confederate 
officer,  whose  horse  was  astride  the 
breast-works.  I  have  since  learned  the 
mounted  officer  who  fell  there  was  the 
gallant  General  Cleburne.  At  that  mo- 
ment the  charge  was  repulsed.  '\  our 
country  owes  you  a  debt  of  gratitude, 
which  I  hope  it  will  repay  in  the  future. 
It  api)ears  to  me  so  ap[)arent  that  the 
hand  of  God  was  your  shield  during 
that  battle,  and  perhaps  it  was  for  the 
purpose  of  enabling  yon  to  see  the  all 
important  doctrine  of  election  and  atone- 
ment as  you  have  never  seen  them.'' 


^rAR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  209 

The  general  shook  his  head,  smiled 
and  said:  "Mr.  Calvin,  I  am  not  con- 
scious of  any  change  npon  those  sub- 
jects, except  it  be  a  deeper  conviction 
that  I  am  right  and  that  yon  are  wrong. 
It  appears  to  me  that  reason  and 
common  sense  must  be  wholly  ignored 
to  enable  any  one  to  believe  such  palpa- 
ble dogmas.  You  say  a  little  sin  is  as 
big  as  a  big  one,  and  that  one  little  sin, 
if  nnforgiven,  will  forever  damn  any 
human  soul.  You  also  say,  '  Xo  man 
lives  without  sin  for  one  day.'  Xow, 
Mr.  Chaplain,  if  all  men,  yourself  in- 
cluded, sin  every  day,  and  if  every  sin 
nnforgiven  will  bring  eternal  perdition 
to  those  having  been  guilty,  suppose  a 
stra}^  bullet  were  to  kill  you  just  after 
one  of  those  little  sins,  before  you  had 
time  for  '  Godly  sorrow  ' —  whatever  that 
may  mean  —  where  would  you  establish 
your  headquarters?  In  hell  or  Heaven? 
And  what  benefit  could  you  derive  from 
'  election,"    and    '  atonement,'  and  '  bap- 


2  I O  S/A'S  -1  liSdL  VED. 

ti^im/  and  tlie  "Lord's  sui)|)er?'  It  will 
not  do,  Mr,  C'linplain  ;  such  sophistry 
will  not  takf  the  i)lace  of  lo^ic.  We 
Ijoth  know,  from  })ersonal  obserxation 
of  men  in  the  army  and  out  of  it.  that 
those  making-  loud  pi'ofessions  of  piety 
need  watching;  that  they  are  no  bettej* 
than  those  who  go  unostentatiously 
about  their  own  l)usiness.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve all  men  sin  every  day.  I  now 
know  many  men  whom  I  believe  have 
not  sinned  while  in  the  army.  Kidfss  he- 
iiKj  in  tlie  ariinj  is  a  si//,  which  is  true  //' 
love  of  humanity  is  above  love  of  coun- 
try.'' 

''  General."  said  the  chai)lain,  '•  your 
opportunities  have  been  great,  and  your 
acquirements  phenomenal  in  their  scope 
and  in  their  profundity.  There  appears 
to  me,  however,  an  indelible  impress  on 
3'our  mind  of  the  instruction  you  re- 
ceived from  Humboldt.  Darwin  and  Max 
Mnller,  which  renders  your  mind  icy 
cold  to  everything  except  the  truths  of 


WAR.  RELIGKiy  jyD  LOVE.  211 

mathematics,  and  the  severest  logic. 
Yon  are  as  yet,  I  fear  a  stranger  to  the 
warm  and  devont  faith,  which  has  the 
power  of  snbordinating  the  head  to 
the  heart.  ^Notwithstanding  yonr  learn- 
ing, you  do  not  appear  to  me  to  com- 
prehend man's  sinful  nature,  and  God's 
desire  to  save  him.  The  relationship 
between  God  and  man  can  be  concisely 
stated  thus  :  Man  stands  guilty  before 
God.  He  has  broken  the  laws  of  life. 
Those  laws  entail  an  eternal  penalty. 
That  penalty  is  death.  That  death, 
however,  means  the  dying  out  of  the 
spiritual  nature  while  the  intellectual 
and  physical  natures  live  on  forever  in 
hell.  God  Avishes  to  save  man.  He 
does  not  feel  free,  however,  to  do  so,  as 
an  earthly  father  would  do,  immediately 
upon  his  child's  repentance.  He  is  un- 
der the  restraint  of  his  own  laws,  which 
must  be  kept  intact  to  a  letter.  Some 
one  must  die  according  to  the  penalty 
prescribed.     A  substitute  may  die,  and 


.Si.V.S  ABSiiLVEL. 


thus  the  guilty  uuui  go  free.  The  Eter- 
nal Son  oftei's  himself  as  a  substitute, 
decends  to  earth,  bodies  himself  in  a 
man  and  suffers  death.  This  death  is 
not  the  eternal  death  incurred,  but  the 
person,  being  an  infinite  one,  his  death 
is  an  infinite  suffering,  and  thus  its  qual- 
ity makes  it  equivalent  to  the  quantity 
of  suffering  prescribed,  and  is  accepted 
as  a  legal  discharge  of  the  law  in  full. 
Man  is  therefore  released  from  all  claims 
of  the  law  ;  divine  justice  is  satisfied. 
^Nlercy  has  room  to  show  itself,  and  God 
forgives  his  child,  all  in  keeping  with 
the  mysterious  counsel  of  his  own  will, 
and  according  to  his  own  decree  before 
man  was.'' 

"That  //OK.  call  a  consise  statement  of 
the  plan  of  salvation  as  exeinj^l^fied  rn 
the  (loetrine  of  the  Atonement  and  Elec- 
tion,'^ said  Wallace. 

"  Yes,  General,  and  its  beauty,  sim- 
plicity and  reasonableness  to  a  mind 
divinely  prepared  for  its  reception  will 


WAR.  RKLIGIoy  AXD  LOVE.  213 

give   it   a   standing  far   above  the  cold 
conclusions  of  mathematics  or  logic/' 

"  The  orthodox  formula,"'  said  the 
genera],  "  does  seem  to  present  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ's  sacrifice  as  a  quit- 
claim deed  under  the  law,  as  in  a 
commercial  transaction.  It  ineans,  how- 
ever^ when  brought  under  the  searching 
scrutiny  of  the  nineteenth  century^  that 
anyone  found  in  the  mass  of  rejected 
humanity,  whatever  saintly  virtues  he 
may  possess,  desjnte  the  Divine  decrees, 
will  find  no  door  ojyen  for  him  to  heaven, 
—  not  even  a  hacJc  door, —  through  which 
he  might  steal  while  the  most  High,  as 
Paid  said,  '  WinTced,  though  the  veriest 
hrute  and  heast,  who  chanced  to  he  one  of 
the  favorite  of  heaven,  Tnight  wallow  in 
the  gutter  all  his  days  and  at  death 
march  straight  to  the  gate  of  the  New 
Jeruscdeni  and  pass  ujichallenged  in.'' 
That's  just  what  this  orthodox  dogma 
of  Election  and  Atonement  means,  and 
meaning  this  is  a   revelation   made   by 


214  N/.VS  AliSiiLVKD. 

the  Christian  church  of  the  intiiiite  and 
eternal  (rod.  is  a  Ijlasphemv  not  easily 
outdone  by  the  most  sacrilegious  of 
inlidels.  Such  dogmas  outrage  evei'y 
instinct  of  humanity,  and  every  principle 
of  justice.  It  enthrones  a  veritable 
monster,  a  power,  whom  we  can  easily 
enough  hate,  l)ut  whom  no  one  ought  to 
love.  It  is  no  wonder,  sir,  that  against 
the  intellectual  folly  of  such  blasphem- 
ous caricature  of  the  Divine  Being  the 
shafts  of  a  scathing  satire  are  hurled, 
and  that  against  its  moral  rottenness, 
the  hot  bolts  of  indignation  are  hurled 
by  the  critics  of  Christianity.  There  is 
nothing  new  or  })eculiar  to  Christianity 
about  the  orthodox  atonement  and  elec- 
tion. Paul  learned  it  from  the  ancient 
Hebrew  prophets.  It  is  part  of  the 
Mohammedan  plan  of  salvation.  The 
ancient  Greeks  entertained  the  same 
ideas.  In  the  dim  distance  of  Hindu 
antiquity  we  see  the  sages  of  India  dis- 
cussing the  same  problems. 


n'AIi.  UFAAdloy  AND  LOVE.  2I5 

''The  j)ru)c>ple  underlying  the  dogma 
of  the  atonement  and  election,  and 
which  is  redeeming  in  its  influence,  per- 
meates humanity  as  a  whole,  and  there 
are  indications  of  the  same  law  in  the 
lower  orders  of  life,  and  it  is  clearly  set 
forth  in  the  doctrine  of  natural  selec- 
tion. Nature  selects  her  races,  or  indi- 
viduals, not  out  of  arbitrariness,  but 
because  they  are  fitted  for  her  purpose. 
That  purpose  is  not  the  happiness  of  her 
favorites,  but  the  progress  of  the  Avhole. 
The  races  that  are  fit  to  survive  do 
survive,  which  gives  us  the  scientific 
doctrine  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest, 
which  means  the  preservation  of  those 
best  adapted  to  carry  on  the  organic 
ascent  of  life  still  higher.  The  elect 
are  not,  therefore,  the  petted  favorites 
of  the  Eternal,  but  His  trusted  servants. 
Almost  every  individual  life  is  touched 
at  some  point  b}^  the  mysterious 
sweep  of  this  law  of  sacrifice  ;  the  care 
and  anxiety,  the   sleepless   nights  of  a 


2l6  S/.VN  ABSiiLVKl). 

fond  mother  tV)i"  her  (hn-liiig-  l)abe  ;  the 
deep  soiTOW  of  father  and  mother  for 
their  erring-  boy  ;  the  agony  of  the  wife 
or  danghter  for  an  intemperate  husband 
or  father,  />•  vicarious  suffering  and 
is  redeeming  in  its  influence.  The 
strongest  hope  of  salvation  to  those 
low  in  sin  lies  in  the  clinging  affection 
of  loved  ones,  which  is  daily  offering 
itself  a  sacrifice  for  him,  and  if  he  is 
ever  saved,  he  Avill  owe  it  to  the  opera- 
tion of  this  law  of  vicarious  sacrifice. 
Every  individual  salvation  is  a  seg- 
ment in  the  sweep  of  the  law  under 
which  all  salvation  out  of  sin  is  being 
wrought." 

''  But,  general,  you  have  several  times 
denounced  as  unjust  the  principle 
that  the  innocent  should  suffer  for  the 
guilty.  Indeed,  the  chief  corner-stone 
on  which  rests  your  opposition  to  ortho- 
doxy is  the  very  principle  of  vicarious 
suffering  which  you  now  assert  to  be 
universal    and    wonderfullv    beneficent. 


TT'.IR,  RELIGIoy  ASD  LOVE.  217 

AVill  YOU   be  kind   enoiig-h  to   clear  up 
your  logical  inconsistencies'?  '' 

"  I  am  far  from  attempting  to  solve 
all  the  mysteries  of  the  almost  universal 
law  of  sacrificial  suft'ering."  said  the 
general.  "It  does  seem  a  strange  and 
solemn  law,  but  it  is  not  without  a  holy 
light  breaking  out  of  its  shadows.  It 
is  not  alone  the  prodigal  boy  and  the 
intemperate  husband  and  father  Avho 
are  thus  saved.  Under  this  law  which 
ordains  that  the  innocent  shall  suffer 
with  and  for  the  guilty,  the  father, 
mother  and  wife  and  daughter  are  also 
saved.  The  sacrificial  victims  have  a 
transfiguration  on  the  altar.  The  fires 
of  suffering  burn  out  of  them  the  dross 
of  their  lower  natures.  Selfishness,  and 
worldliness,  and  wickedness,  are  subli- 
mated into  spiritual  qualities  in  the 
furnace  of  affliction.  Thus  the  justice 
and  beneficence  of  nature's  method  of 
evolving  the  higher  manhood  becomes 
apparent    to    human    reason.     It  is  the 


2  I  8  N/.TS  .  1  nsoLVKD. 

arhHrary  elrcHon  and  otonPinent  of  the 
Presbyterian.  Confession  of  faith,  which 
stops  at  no  folly  and  shrinks  from  no 
l)laspheniy,  whose  infamy  has  no  eqnal 
in  remorseless  logic,  that  T  have  de- 
nounced. The  AVestminster  Confession 
of  Faith  is  the  putrification  of  religion 
in  dogmas." 

"  Your  philoso])hy,  General."  said  the 
chaplain,  ''  is  not  a  religion  ;  it  recog- 
nizes nothing  but  hnv.  Your  universe 
mighi  as  well  l)e  without  a  Cxod.  There 
are  no  special  manifestations  of  Divine 
power.  You  have  no  miracles.  Your 
philosophy  necessitates  the  rejection  of 
the  miracles  in  the  lives  of  Joshua,  of 
Moses  and  of  Job.  IIow  can  there  be 
an  answer  to  prayer  if  there  is  no  over- 
ruling providence,  no  personal  super- 
vision of  our  lives  and  actions'?  and 
how  can  sins  be  forgiven?  " 

"Mr.  Chaplain,  if  your  analysis  of  my 
])hilosophy  finds  no  Cod,  either  I  have 
failed    to    make    mvself    clear    or    vour 


WAR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  219 

po>yer  of  analysis  is  defective.  God  is 
the  sovl  of  all  that  is.  lie  is  every- 
where and  in  everytliing-.  Most  em- 
phatically and  under  all  circumstances, 
'  in  Him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our 
being/  I  recognize  the  existence  of  a 
'  Positive  Unknown,'  and  with  Herbert 
Spencer,  speculate  that  that  incompre- 
hensible power  is  above  personality,  and 
not  below  it ;  that  It  is  as  much  above 
intellio-ence  and  will  as  intellii>-ence  and 
will  are  above  mechanical  motion.  It  is 
true  my  philosophy  does  not  recognize 
the  possibility  of  that  Power  ever 
forgiving  eveii  one  little  si7i.  There  is 
no  domain  not  governed  by  law,  and  the 
order  of  nature  has  never  been  inter- 
fered with,  and,  judging  the  future  by 
the  past,  it  will  not  be.  It  is  asserted 
by  unquestioned  authority  that  '' what- 
soever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reaj?,^  which,  if  true,  means  that  sin 
cannot  be  forgiven  in  this  nor  in  any 
other  world.     My  philosophy  authorizes 


2  20  S/XS  ABSor.VKD. 

the  belief  that  there  may  l)e  a  rehition- 
ship  estal)lishecl  between  the  devout 
soul  iu  srri'(^f  pi'd //(:■/•  aud  God  that  gives 
a  comfort  unknown  to  the  world.  A 
belief  in  the  alleged  miracles  in  the 
lives  of  Job.  Joshua  and  of  Moses  ap- 
pears to  me  to  be  born  of  superstition 
and  to  he  nurtured  in  ignorance.  Schol- 
ars now  believe  Job  to  have  been  a 
mythical  character,  and  the  story  of  him 
to  be  an  allegory,  and  as  such  it  is  lioth 
beautiful  and  helpful.  To  be  able  to 
live  a  right  life  in  the  midst  of  his  sur- 
roundings, indicates  an  exalted  man- 
hood. But  if  the  bickering  and  the 
final  bargain  and  sale  between  God  and 
the  devil,  in  view  of  what  elob's  former 
life  had  been,  is  the  record  of  a  literal 
transaction,  then  God  has  reached  a 
plane  in  moral  degradation  below  that 
which  is  occu])ied  by  the  ruler  of  the 
Fiji  Islands,  and  would  be  a  full  justifi- 
cation of  Mrs.  Job  when  she  said, 
'  Curse    God    and    die.'      The    alleged 


n'AE,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  221 

miracles  in  the  life  of  that  brutal  mur- 
derer, Joshua,  are  too  revolting  to  be 
thought  of.  In  his  wars  of  invasion  he 
murdered  men,  women  and  children  for 
no  other  crime  than  defending  their 
country.  The  heartless  butcher}^  of 
'•  every  woman  that  hath  known  a  man 
by  lying  with  him,'  and  saving  alive  for 
the  avowed  purpose  of  prostitution 
'  thirty-six  thousand  girls  who  had  not 
known  a  man  by  lying  with  him,'  has  no 
equal  in  the  history  of  brutality  and 
crime,  with  the  single  exception  of 
David's  debauching  Uriah's  wife,  and 
then  murdering  Uriah  to  conceal  his 
own  infamy,  and  the  most  shocking 
blasphemy  ever  offered  to  Deity  is  to 
charge  Him  with  directing  it. 

"  Moses  was  one  of  the  most  wonder- 
ful, and  one  of  the  greatest  men  the 
world  ever  produced.  There  was  noth- 
ing in  his  life,  however,  that  could  not 
have  been  done  by  a  man  wholly  with- 
out  the    aid    of  miracle.     During   the 


SO'N  AnSillA'KD. 


twenty  years  he  was  absent  from  Egypt, 
after  haying  shiin  the  Egyptian,  he 
studied  the  tides  and  the  ])asses  of  the 
Red  Sea.  He  olisei-ved  that  in  the 
southern  part  the  tide  rises  uearl}^  sixty 
feet.  He  also  found  a  neck  of  the  sea, 
less  than  a  half  mile  wide,  tl:at  n-as  not 
iniihi-  Huilrr  it'lieii  tlip  tidf  was  out,  ex- 
ce[)t  when  the  wind  was  from  the  south. 
At  this  point  Xapoleon  I.,  his  staff, 
and  a  \y.\Yi  of  the  one  hundred  sayants 
taken  from  France,  encam})ed  for  the 
night.  An  unexpected  tide  came  upon 
them  so  suddeidy  that  liefore  their 
horses  were  saddled  some  of  them  were 
swimming,  and  they  were  only  sayed 
from  drowning  because  of  Xa})oleon's 
command, '  Form  a  circle  around  me,  and 
whose  horse  does  not  swim  we  Avill  follow.' 
''  I  haye  tAyice  ridden  through  that  pass 
in  the  Ked  Sea,  and  watched  the  tide  as 
it  came  in  ;  a  wall  of  water  twenty  feet 
high,  and  the  entire  width  of  the  neck 
of  the  sea  —  about  a  half  mile,  —  rushing 


TTMfl,  RELiaioX  AND  LoVE.  223 

on  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  in  seven  minutes, 
and  the  reflection  that  three  thousand 
years  ago,  Moses  and  the  hosts  of  Israel- 
ites passed  through  in  safety,  and  that 
Pharaoh's  army  was  submerged,  pro- 
duced a  feeling  that  all  this  might  haye 
occurred  without  miraculous  interyention 
and  the  farther  reflection  that  Moses  and 
Aaron  had  directed  the  Israelites  to  bor- 
row all  the  yaluable  jewelry  from  the 
Egyptians  before  starting,  and  that  it 
was  melted  and  made  into  a  golden  calf, 
and  that  the  calf  Avas  subsequently 
hurned  and  the  asJ/es  scattered,  and  as 
the  manna  which  fell  from  Heayen  was 
nearly  as  plenty  no^y  and  just  as  nutri- 
tious, gaye  to  the  whole  story  a  yery 
liuman  appearance. 

"'The  simple  truth  is,  that  Moses,  a  great 
leader  of  men,  with  the  aid  of  Aaron, 
took  his  people  out  of  Egypt  to  Arabia 
through  the  Red  Sea  when  the  tide  was 
out,  and  there  was  no  miracle  in  it.  It 
was,  however,  a  masterly  retreat. 


224  '^'-^•'''  -^l^^Ol^-'^'f^li- 

"  As  a  law  ,o-iver  Mo^es  was  the  equal  of 
Gautama,  Buddha  and  Lycurgas,  but 
was  vastly  the  superior  of  either  of  them 
in  generalship.  The  Ten  Command- 
ments were  given  to  the  world  in  almost 
the  same  language  l)y  (iautama  after 
Moses  lived,  Init  there  is  no  evidence 
that  (rautama  had  any  knowledge 
of  their  having  been  written.  They 
were  evolved  by  both  of  them  as  they 
would  have  been  by  any  other  great 
thinker,  as  the  code  for  the  government 
of  their  people. 

"Whether  Moses  visited  oriental 
countries,  and  while  there  acquired  great 
dexterity  as  a  •  sleight  of  hand  per- 
former,' will  never  be  known.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  he  used  questionable 
methods  to  impress  his  people  with  his 
sup3riority  over  them.  Such  deception 
was  then  justified.  Even  Alexander 
tha  Great,  saveral  hundred  years  later, 
imprpysel  th/^  soldiers  from  CTreece  that 
he  was  the  son  of  the  God,  Jupiter.      His 


n\iR,  RELIGIoy  AXD  LOVE.  225 

mother  was  not  superstitious,  and  she 
often  said,  with  a  smile,  '  I  wish  Alex- 
ander would  cease  embroiling  me  with 
the  gods/ 

"  He  adopted  the  same  adroit  method 
in  explanation  of  the  total  eclipse  of  the 
moon,  the  night  before  the  battle  of  the 
Granicus.  He  directed  the  soothsay- 
ers and  astrologers  to  say,  '  The  moon 
is  Darius'  friend  and  the  sun  Alexander's, 
and  the  eclipse  of  the  moon  means  Dar- 
ius' defeat  to-morrow,'  and  it  did. 

''  Whether  Moses  believed  his  code  of 
law  to  have  been  the  best  that  could  be, 
as  did  the  great  Spartan  law  giver,  and 
go  into  voluntary  exile,  as  did  Lycurgus, 
wHll  ever  remain  as  great  a  mystery  as 
did  the  place  of  their  death  and  burial. 

"Moses  was  a  star  of  the  first  magni- 
tude in  that  magnificent  constellation  of 
the  world's  greatest  men  whose  luster  is 
undimmed  by  time,  and  any  effort  made 
through  superstition  or  ignorance,  to 
rob  him  of  the  glory  that  belongs  to  him, 


226  N/.\S  ap.S(ilvi:d. 

by  allegiiiij;'  miraculous  aid.  will,  in  the 
near  future,  l)e  reuioveil  l)y  a  rational 
interpi'etation  of  all  the  acts  of  his  life. '' 

"Do  you,  (»enei-al,  leave  out  of  your 
philosoi)hy  the  saci'auient  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  ba[)tisni  and  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus?  '■ 

''  Yes,  in  a  literal  sense,  I  do.  A  dis- 
belief in  the  ethcacy  of  the  Lord's  Stip- 
per,  except  as  a  memorial  service,  in 
which  sense  with  the  su])ei'natural  wholly 
eliminated,  it  ms  ])oth  beautiful  and 
hel[)ful.  and  in  l)ap)tism  and  the  restir- 
rection  of  the  body  of  Jesus,  is  no  more 
evidence  of  disloyalty  to  His  teaching' 
than  is  the  non-participation  in  a  Fotirth 
of  Jtily  celebration  l)y  an  American  citi- 
zen evidence  of  treason. 

"^Trtdythe  letter  killeth.'  It  is  not 
unscientific  to  believe  that  a  similaritij  of 
feeHiHi  between  the  human  sotil  and  God 
may  be  established  in  secret  prayer.  If  it 
is  true  that  God  breathed  into  man  the 
breath  of  life,  and  that  he  did  is  not  qaes- 


^rAR.  RELiGioy  axd  ijjvi:.  ■    227 

tioned,  even  by  scientists,  not,  however, 
by  a  special  creation,  bnt  by  evolution, 
then  it  is  also  true  that  man  possesses 
somethino-  in  common  with  Deity.  A 
large  per  cent  of  sciejitific  men  believe 
there  exists  a  serial  order  of  ethers,  inter- 
vening between  the  atmosphere  at  one  ex- 
tremity and  terminating  at  the  other 
extremity,  in  an  ether  of  infinite  attenu- 
ation and  elasticity,  not  affected  in  any 
way  by  the  law  of  inertia.  Light  is 
transmitted  with  great  velocity  on  an 
ether  believed  to  fill  all  inter-planetary 
spaces.  The  wave  lengths  of  the  dif- 
ferent colors  have  been  measured.  So 
mathematical  is  our  knowledge  upon  this 
question  that  scientists  have  produced  a 
dark  spot  on  a  screen  on  which  two  in- 
tensely bright  lights  were  thrown,  be- 
cause the  crest  of  the  waves  of  one 
light  corresponded  with  the  troughs  of 
the  other  light.  The  same  principle  can 
be  demonstrated  in  sound,  by  taking  two 
tuning-forks,  one  having  fifty  vibrations 


2  28  .S/.VN  AliSoLVED. 

to  the  minute  and  the  other  fifty  and  a 
half;  when  the  crest  of  the  Avaves  from 
one  corresponds  with  the  trough  of  the 
other  silence  is  the  result,  after  w^hich 
tlie  sounds  rise  again.  If  the  ethereal 
undulations  tiiat  are  recognized  as  light 
fall  u})on  the  retina  of  a  person  at  dif- 
ferent times,  or  upon  the  retina  of  two 
or  more  persons,  however  remote  they 
may  be  from  each  other,  the  same  sensa- 
tions are  produced  ;  that  is,  they  have  a 
similarity  of  feeling  so  far  as  the  elYect 
of  light  is  a  cause  of  sensations,  if  the 
ethereal  vibrations  have  the  same  wave 
length  and  the  same  number  of  vibra- 
tions to  the  inch.  All  light  was  origi- 
nally projected  from  the  sun,  and  all 
terrestrial  lights  are  merely  temporary 
manifestations  of  that  which  came  from 
the  primal  source  in  the  far-past  ages. 
All  thought  was  originally  projected  from 
the  mind  of  God,  and  all  terrestrial  mani- 
festations of  the  force  called  mind  are 
temporary  uses  of  the  ether  on  which  the 


Tr.lR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  229 

primal  undulations  were  initiated,  and 
upon  which  all  thought  is  transmitted. 
It  is  as  reasonable  to  believe  there  is  an 
ether  for  the  transmission  of  thought  as 
there  is  a  "  luminiferous  ether ''  for  the 
transmission  of  light.  The  only  evidence 
of  the  existence  of  either  is  the  incon- 
cievability  of  an  effect  remote  from  its 
cause  without  a  mediu7n  of  transmission. 
The  velocity  of  thought  has  not  been 
measured  as  light  has  been,  for  the  prob- 
able reason  that  its  velocity  is  much 
greater,  and  whether  the  law  of  inverse 
squares  affects  its  ethereal  undulations 
has  not  yet  been  determined. 

''The  human  soul  possessing  a  something 
in  common  with  its  author,  God,  may  be 
put  into  such  a  condition  of  receptimty 
by  solitude,  meditation  and  prayer  that 
the  ethereal  undulations  on  which  thought 
is  projected  may  have  the  same  wave 
length,  and  the  same  number  to  the  inch, 
in  the  human  soul  as  when  they  emanated 
from  the  mind  of  God.     A  similarity  of 


230  .Sr^'S  AnSOLVED 

feeling  is  thereby  established,  and  the 
man  can  love  what  God  loves,  upon  a 
scientitic  basis. 

'•  There  is  not  enough  emphasis  placed 
upon  the  Jiff  of  ^lesus,  and  there  is  too 
much  upon  his  death.  Every  belief  in 
the  supernatural  touching  the  birth,  life 
and  deatli  of  the  })urest,  and  the  greatest 
man.  Jesus,  is  an  irrational  dogma,  and 
will  be  in  the  not  remote  future  laid 
quietly  away  in  the  graveyard  of  forget- 
fulness,  and  the  pall-bearers  on  tliat  oc- 
casion will  be  Unitarian  ministers.  The 
purifying  influence  of  a  baptism  with  the 
Holy  Spirit, —  with  or  without  water  is 
a  matter  of  no  consequence, —  wdiich  no 
forms  or  ceremonies  can  limit  and  no 
sectarianism  can  nari'ow  to  a  favored  few, 
puts  all  into  the  warm  and  genial  sun- 
shine of  the  right  life,  and  leaves  them 
in  harmony  with  God." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

''  AVEXGE  THE  DEATH  OF  WALLACE.  " 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  15th  of 
December,  1864.  in  the  midst  of  a  dense 
fog,  the  long  roll  was  sounded.  A  line 
of  battle  was  formed,  and  was  advanced 
during  the  day  about  two  miles.  I^o 
general  engagement  occurred  that  day. 
Wallace's  command  captured  three  or 
four  batteries  situated  on  ''  Little  Round 
Tops,"  which  are  Ioav  elevations,  having 
somewhat  the  appearance  of  the  largest 
mounds  built  by  the  Mound-Builders. 
About  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the 
right  of  our  line  was  pushed  forward  to 
secure  an  elevated  position  on  which  a 
battery  could  be  planted  to  enfilade  the 
Confederate  line.  The  desired  position 
was  then  occupied  b}^  a  Confederate 
battery,  which  had  to  be  taken.  It  was 
supported  by  infantry  of  unknown  nuiij- 
231 


S/.YS  ABSOLVED. 


ber.  Colonel  Dale  requested  the  privi- 
leg'e  and  }»leasai'e  of  takinij;-  General 
Wallace's  old  brigade  and  capturing  it. 
General  Wallace  reluctantly  consented. 
The  brigade  took  its  position  ready 
for  the  charge.  The  signal  for  the 
charge  was  the  discharge  of  all  the  pieces 
in  the  battery.  A  volley  from  every  gun 
came  and  every  man  sprang  forward. 
Their  progress  was  so  rapid  that  although 
the  battery  was  six  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant the  gunners  had  time  to  load  but 
once.  That  volley  was  fired  at  the  range 
of  less  than  twenty  rods,  with  deadly 
effect.  Colonel  Dale's  horse  was  torn 
almost  in  pieces  by  a  solid  shot  that 
struck  him  in  the  breast.  The  colonel 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  Avas  the  first  man 
at  the  battery.  As  he  sprang  upon  the 
works  and  shouted  "Surrender  !"'  a  thrust 
was  made  at  his  breast  with  a  bayonet 
in  the  hands  of  a  Confederate  major,  but 
it  never  reached  its  mark.  xV  captain 
seeing  the  blow,  crushed  his  head  with 


WAR.  RELTGKiy  ASD  LOVE.  233 

his  musket.  The  battery  and  a  thousand 
prisoners  were  taken.  Colonel  Dale  was 
complimented  by  General  Thomas  in 
person,  with  the  remark  :  "  That  smile 
of  yours  means  yictor}^''  Xight  came 
and  both  armies  rested  on  their  arms. 

"AVell,  Colonel  Dale,  eyery  moyement 
to-day  has  been  satisfactory,"  said  Gen- 
eral Wallace.  ''  Our  line  has  adyanced 
its  entire  length,  and  w^e  are  now  not 
to  exceed  half  a  mile  from  the  Confed- 
erate line,  which  is  about  two  miles  long. 
Our  loss  has  been  slight  to-day,  but  we 
can't  hope  for  so  little  to-morrow.  The 
whole  Confederate  line  has  strong  breast- 
works ;  a  part  of  the  left  of  their  line  is 
a  stone  fence.  It  is  our  present  inten- 
tion to  push  our  line  slowly  forward  to- 
morrow morning",  and  the  final  charge 
will  not  be  made  until  in  the  afternoon. 
We  shall  haye  to  charge  good  works,  as 
they  did  at  Franklin,  and  I  fear  our  loss 
will  be  heayy.  I  belieye  a  decisiye  yic- 
tory  in  this  battle  means  an  end  of  the 


234  S7.YS  vlCSoLTKI). 

war  in  the  AVest.  AVe  diminished  Hood's 
tig'hting  force  abont  one-thii'd  in  the 
battle  of  Franklin,  and  an  utter  rout 
now  will  be  equivalent  to  a  disorganiza- 
tion of  his  remaining  force." 

"  (leneral  Wallace,*"  said  Colonel  Dale, 
''I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  say  that!  I 
had  speculated  a  little  along  that  line 
myself,  and  to  know  that  i/on  believe  it 
g'ives  me  great  hope.  I  am  so  glad  of 
it.  While  I  have  been  l)revetted  for  gal- 
lantry in  battle,and  complimented  enough 
to  turn  my  head,  I  am  not  a  soldier  from 
choice.  I  have  no  love  for  the  roar  of 
musketry  and  the  wild  excitement  of 
the  charge  in  battle.  I  cry  and  pray 
eyery  night  for  the  end  of  the  war. 
I  could  haye  more  jdeasure  in  one  day 
in  a  quiet  home  in  the  North  than  all  the 
honor  and  glory  has  giyen  in  the  last  four 
years.  I  shall  do  my  dtity  to-morrow 
in  the  hope  it  may  be  the  last  bloodshed 
I  shall  ever  be  compelled  to  see  on  the 
battle-field. 


WAR.  RKLIGWy  AND  LOVE.  235 

"  Yes,  Colonel  Dale,  I  know  yon  will 
do  yonr  dnty.  Yon  never  fail,  bnt  I 
wish  to  cantion  yon  against  needless  ex- 
posnre.  That  bayonet  thrnst  to-day  was 
aimed  at  yonr  heartland  yon  wonld  have 
fallen  dead  jnst  as  yon  sprang  on  the 
breast-works,  even  before  the  battery 
was  taken,  if  that  captain,  in  an  almost 
miraculons  manner,  had  not  brained  your 
assailant  with  his  gun.  I  brevetted  him 
brigadier-general,  and  he  is  now  the 
happiest  man  in  the  army.  It  was  a  big 
jump  from  captain  to  general,  bnt  he 
merited  the  promotion."' 

"  Was  the  promotion,"  said  Colonel 
Dale,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye, '"  because 
he  saved  my  life?" 

"Well,  the  order  did  not  read  that 
way  ;  it  said  for  gallantry  in  capturing 
a  Confederate  battery." 

"But,  General,  I  have  seen  you  several 
times  take  greater  chances  of  being  killed 
than  I  ever  did.  It  is  your  own  example 
I  have  been  following." 


236  S/^N'.^'  AliSaLrKD. 

••Perlia])^;  that  is  truo,  but  my  case  is 
dilFeront  from  yours.  I  liave  nothiug-  to 
live  for.  I  have  uot,  as  you  kuow,  made 
a  coufidaut  of  auy  mau  iu  the  army.  I 
have  uot  distressed  eveu  you,  my  dearest 
frieud,  with  uiy  souietimes  almost  uu- 
bearable  uuhappiuess.  I  have  beeu,  aud 
am,  iudiffereut  to  life.  Eveu  you  do  uot 
kuow  that  there  has  uot  beeu  oue  uight 
siuce  the  death  of  my  poor,  dear  Agues 
that  my  eyes  have  uot  beeu  wet  with 
tears.  I  thiuk  of  her  the  last  thought 
before  I  sleep,  aud  the  first  thought 
wheu  I  wake." 

The  eolouel  buried  his  face  iu  his 
haudkerchief,  aud  sobbed  aloud  :  "  O, 
Geueral,  I  thiuk  I  kuow  how  your  heart 
aches  ;  I  pity  you,  aud  I  pray  God  that 
these  dark  clouds  may  soou  be  reuioved, 
aud  be  followed  by  suushiue." 

After  a  loug  sileuce,  Wallace  said  : 
"  I  have  uo  premouitiou  of  evil  to  either 
of  us  to-morroAv.  We  know,  how^ever, 
what  there  is  to  "be  doue.     If  the  Con- 


WAR.  RELIOIOX  AXD  LOVE.  237 

federate  army  remains  behind  good 
works,  as  it  no  doubt  will,  I  have  no  idea 
that  Hood  will  leave  his  position  until 
he  is  driven  from  it  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  We  must  have  a  victory  or 
die,  both  of  us.  As  something  may 
happen  to  me  I  have  thought  it  proper 
to  prepare  this  document,  which  yon 
will  put  in  some  safe  place ;  it  is  my 
will.  You  are  a  poor  boy.  I  am  amply 
able  to  provide  for  you,  even  if  you  are 
disabled  so  you  cannot  labor  when  you 
are  out  of  the  army  ;  if  I  am  not  killed 
you  may  hand  it  back  to  me."  The 
colonel  took  the  paper  with  trembling 
hand,  but  made  no  reply.  General  Wal- 
lace looked  at  his  watch  and  said  :  "It 
is  12  o'clock.  We  will  retire ;  good 
night." 

Picket   firing    continued    during    the 
Avhole  night,  and  several  times  became 
so  active  that  a  general  engagement  ap- 
peared to  be  imminent.     Morning  came 
'  at  last,  and  our  line  of  battle  was  sloAvly 


2 38  >'/-YS  AB^nLVKD. 

pushed  forward  during  the  day,  and  l:)y 
3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  lines  of 
battle  were  nearly  parallel  with  each 
other,  and  were  aljout  a  thousand  yards 
a[)art.  The  Confederate  line  of  battle 
terminated  on  its  left  abruptly  withont 
a  Hank,  on  a  hill  of  consideral)le  eleva- 
tion. The  right  of  otir  line  had  been 
ptished  forward  so  far  that  two  of  onr 
batteries  almost  exactly  enfiladed  their 
line.  iSix  of  our  1)atteries  were  so  sitn- 
ated  that  they  bore  dii'cctly  upon  the 
Confederate  battery  situated  on  the 
summit  of  tiie  hill  referred  to.  Our  line 
of  l)attle  Avas  ready  to  advance.  Orders 
had  been  given  that  at  the  cessation  of 
fifteen  minutes  cannonading  by  all  the 
batteries,  the  charge  was  to  begin.  The 
firing  was  to  be  as  rapid  as  possible,  and 
to  be  directed  at  the  battery  on  the  hilL 
Six  batteries  of  six  gtms  each  opened  at 
once.  The  two  batteries  on  our  extreme 
right,  which  enfiladed  the  Confederate 
line,  and  the  four  other  batteries  in  their 


WAR.  RELKiWy  ASD  LOVE. 


239 


front  was  more  than  any  battery  conld 
withstand.  Their  guns  were  silenced 
ahnost  at  once,  and  every  gun  was  found 
an  hour  later  disabled.  The  crash  and 
the  roar  was  deafening.  I  had  heard  a 
few  times  before  the  roar  of  musketry 
that  was  continuous  for  a  few  minutes, 
but  I  never  before  that  time  heard  the 
thunder  of  artillery  that  was  so  near 
continuous.  The  sight  I  shall  never  for- 
get. With  the  aid  of  a  glass  both  lines 
conld  be  distinctly  seen  as  they  stretched 
away  to  the  left,  and  with  the  naked  eye 
all  that  was  in  our  front. 

General  Thomas  sat  quietly  on  his 
horse  about  fifty  rods  in  the  rear  of  oiu' 
line  of  battle.  General  Wallace  and 
Colonel  Dale  rode  back  and  forth  in  the 
rear  of  Wallace's  command.  The  whole 
line  had  been  informed,  and  every  man 
understood,  that  at  the  cessation  of  firing- 
by  the  batteries  the  charge  was  to  begin. 
The  firing  ceases  ;  the  soldiers  spring  to 
their  feet ;  General  Wallace  and  Colonel 


240  >'/-VS  ABSdLVKIi. 

Dale,  witli  sword^i  drawn,  dash  a]oii<;-  the 
line.  Thei-e  isnew  life  everywhere.  The 
line  is  sti'enii'thened  at  the  eentei",  dii-eetly 
in  front  of  two  Confederate  batteries, 
jnst  now  |)nt  into  |)osition  on  the  dead 
rnn  ;  all  is  ready  :  a  line  of  battle  two 
and  a  half  miles  loni^'.  moves  forward 
with  the  precision  and  grandenr  of  a 
charge  by  Napoleon's  Old  <  riiai-d.  It  vras 
like  the  stately  sweep  of  a  gigantic  pen- 
dnlnm.  The  colors  living ;  the  bands 
and  drnm  corps  at  regular  distances 
along  the  line  playing  ••  Yankee  Doodle.'' 
The  stretcher  corps,  of  two  from  each 
company,  was  in  its  place  in  the  rear  of 
the  advancing  lines  of  l)attle.  The  Con- 
federate line  of  works  in  plain  view  less 
than  half  a  mile  away  ;  every  soldier  im- 
patiently awaiting  the  shock  :  the  Con- 
federate batteries  on  the  hill  at  the 
extreme  left  of  their  line  were  silent  as  a 
grave,  but  the  other  batteries  along  the 
line  were  potiring  forth  volley  after 
Yolle}^  of   shot    and    shell,   presented   a 


ir.in,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  24I 

view  of  a  battle  not  before  seen  during 
the  war,  except  at  Gettysburg*. 

Creneral  Wallace  was  by  nature  a  sol- 
dier, and  a  leader  of  men.  He  watched 
with  evident  delight  the  advancing  army. 
He  said  to  Colonel  Dale  :  "Your  per- 
sistent smile  is  evidence  that  the  gran- 
deur of  this  battle  has  not  escaped  you. 
Why,  if  the  Duke  of  Wellington  were 
here  he  would  say  as  he  did  in  one  of 
the  charges  at  Waterloo,  "  That's  splen- 
did." 

"  Yes,  General,  the  element  of  gran- 
deur is  apparent,  but  to  me  the  scene  is 
awful  as  well ;  and  that  smile, —  if  it  is  a 
smile, —  is  only  on  my  face  ;  it  does  not 
extend  to  my  heart." 

"Colonel  Dale  !  "shouted  General  Wal- 
lace, in  a  stern  voice,  a  short  time  after. 
"  Hold  that  brigade  in  the  center,  steady. 
Push  them  a  little  faster.  Ah,  its  all 
right ;  they  have  struck  the  double- 
quick  ;  the  Confederate  skirmish  line  is 
falling  back ;  we  will  have  the  first  vol- 


242  S/-VN  AISSiiLVEli. 

ley  from   their  infantry  as  soon  as  their 
skirmishers  are  inside  their  works." 

Cok)nel  Dale  ur<i-es  his  horse  down 
the  line  to  the  left  to  the  brigade  in  the 
center.  ;ind  n[)on  which  the  heaviest  ar- 
tillery v\"as  l)eai'inu-.  The  whole  line  is 
now  within  four  hundi-ed  yards  of  their 
Ijreast works  :  it  is  swee[)ing  forward  in' 
majesty  and  power.  The  impetuosity 
of  the  charge  appears  irresistible.  The 
iirst  volley  from  their  infantry  is  rained 
upon  our  line  at  the  range  of  less  than 
four  hundred  yards  with  deadly  effect. 
A  dull  thud  as  of  tearing  strong  cloth 
is  heard ;  a  sti'eam  of  blood  gushes 
from  General  Wallace's  left  breast;  his 
sword  falls  from  his  hand  ;  he  reels  in 
his  saddle,  and  falls  to  the  ground. 
General  IVaJlace  is  t/ead !  went  along 
the  line  as  if  by  electricity,  (-reneral 
Dale  from  the  moment  of  Wallace's 
death,  exhibited  the  rage  of  personal 
anger  and  deep  hatred.  The  tears 
streaming  from  his  eyes,  and  his  \oice 


WAR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  243 

trembling-  with  emotion  he  rode  the  line 
shouting,  ^'Avenge  the  death  of  Wal- 
lace !  ''  The  first  volley  from  their  in- 
fantry thinned  our  ranks,  bat  did  not 
even  check  our  progress.  The  line  never 
wavered.  On  it  went  as  irresistible  as 
a  cyclone !  General  Dale  appeared  to 
be  omnipresent.  The  smile  had  disap- 
peared from  his  face,  and  in  its  stead 
was  an  expression  of  malice  and  revenge. 
The  whole  line  is  sweeping  forward. 
They  are  now  within  ten  rods  of  their 
line.  They  have  had  just  time  to  reload, 
and  another  volley  from  their  infantry, 
and  of  grape  and  canister  from  the  two 
batteries  bearing  upon  the  center  of  the 
line,  was  poured  upon  them  with  more 
deadly  effect  than  the  first.  General 
"Wallace's  old  regiment  held  the  center, 
and  was  directly  in  front  of  the  two 
batteries,  and  the  strongest  part  of  the 
Confederate  infantry  line. 

General  Dale  at  the  moment   of  the 
discharge  from  the  batteries  and  the  in- 


244  >7.V.s'  .177S-OL TED. 

faiitry  was  in  the  center  of  the  regiment, 
and  his  horse's  head  was  in  advance  of 
the  line  :  his  eye  hashing  hre  and  his 
stentorian  voice  thundering  :  ''^ive/Hje 
the  dratli  of  W'lJJace  !'^  His  horse  is 
riddled  with  minie  Ijalls,  and  grape  and 
canister  pass  throngh  its  body.  In  his  fall 
the  general's  foot  remains  in  the  stirrup, 
and  underneath  the  horse's  body.  By 
a  superhuman  etfort  he  extricates  him- 
self, bounds  to  his  feet,  and  is  the  first 
man  to  leap  upon  the  works  and  com- 
mand, '"Sun-ender  I"  Immediately  after 
their  last  volley,  and  before  the  shock 
came  upon  them,  the  Confederate  sol- 
diers, by  the  hundred,  had  cut  their 
cartridge  box  belts  and  threw  down 
their  guns  in  their  haste  to  retreat,  and 
had  tied.  A  hand-to-hand  confiict  with 
those  who  remained,  in  which  (xeneral 
Dale  took  an  active  and  dangerous  part, 
followed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  resulted 
in  a  complete  victory  all  along  the  line. 
All  who  were  not  killed  or  captured  tied 


WAR,  RELIGIoy  ASD  LOVE.  245 

ill  every  direction  in  ntter  rout  and 
confusion.  Hood  was  disheartened,  his 
army  discouraged,  and  never  existed 
again  as  an  army.  General  Wallace's 
regiment  lost  in  killed  on  the  field 
more  than  one-third  of  its  number. 

Near  where  General  Dale's  horse  fell 
seven  dead  soldiers  from  an  Iowa  regi- 
ment were  lying ;  their  bodies  were 
touching  or  their  limbs  overlapping  each 
other.  As  soon  as  Hood's  forces  were 
completely  routed,  and  the  decisive  vic- 
tory was  w^on,  General  Dale  directed  an 
orderly  to  send  him  an  ambulance  at 
once.  A  colonel  wdio  w^as  standing  near 
supposing  he  was  wounded,  saluted  him 
and  said  :  "  General,  can  I  do  anything 
for  you  —  are  you  wounded?" 

"  No,  Colonel,  I  thank  you.  I  am  not 
hurt.  Something  struck  me  a  heavy 
blow  in  the  breast  as  I  approached  the 
breastworks,  and  I  yet  feel  a  little 
pain,  but  I  shall  be  all  right  in  a  fe\y 
minutes." 


246  N/TS  ABSOLVKD. 

''  A\  hy.  (reneral,  there  is  a  bnllet  hole 
in  your  coat,  over  your  heart.  Let  us 
investigate  it." 

The  coat  was  unl)uttoued  and  no  1)ullet 
hole  was  found  through  the  lining. 

•'Ah,"  said  the  general,  "I  think  I 
understand  it."  He  put  his  hand  in  his 
breast  ]K;)cket  and  brouglit  out  a  deck  of 
cards,  in  which  a  minie  ball  was  sticking. 
The  bullet  had  passed  through  every  card 
but  one. 

The  general's  voice  trembled  as  he 
said,  "  General  Wallace  and  I  have 
spent  many  pleasant  evenings  with  that 
deck  of  cards  and  it  has  now  saved  my 
life." 

Then  he  sprang  into  the  ambulance 
and  directed  the  driver  to  take  him  to 
the  headquarters  wagon,  get  his  trunk, 
and  then  to  a  hotel  in  the  city. 

He  said  to  the  driver  as  he  entered 
the  hotel :  ^'  "Wait  for  me,  I  will  return 
in  a  few  moments.''  In  ten  minutes  a 
tidily  dressed  young  lady  appeared  and 


WAR,  RKLIGIOy  .-iXD  LdVE.  247 

said,  "Take  me  to  the  hospital  where 
General  Wallace  is/" 

"I  can't  do  it,  Miss,  I  am  waiting-  for 
General  Dale,  said  the  driver.  "  and  I 
dare  not  disobey  orders.'' 

"  I  assure  yon  it  Avill  be  all  right,  the 
general  wishes  yon  to  do  so." 

"All  right.  Miss,  jump  in.'' 

A  few  moments  later  a  yonng  lady 
entered  the  hospital  and  asked  for  the 
surgeon. 

When  he  came  to  her  she  said,  "Is 
General  Wallace  dead?"  and  burst  out 
crying. 

"  ISTo,  Madam,"  said  the  surgeon,  "he 
is  not  dead,  and  since  I  have  examined 
the  wound  more  carefully,  I  am  hopeful 
that  he  may  recover.'' 

"  Can  I  see  him?  "  said  she. 

"  That  depends.  If  you  are  a  south- 
ern lady,  here  out  of  curiosity  to  see  a 
fine  looking,  dashing  Union  general 
badly  wounded,  no,  —  emphatically  no." 


24S  N/.YN  AliSuLVED. 

She  shook  her  head,  the  tears  still 
streaming  from  her  eyes. 

"Are  you  a  relative  or  a  frieiul?'" 

"Yes,  Doctor.  I  was  acquainted  witli 
the  g-eneral  before  he  entei-ed  the  army. 
lie  was  a  dear  friend.'' 

•'  Come  with  me.  Miss,  your  presence 
may  do  him  good.  lie  is  in  our  private 
room,  away  from  the  noise  inseparable 
from  au}^  army  hospital  after  a  great 
battle." 

The  surgeon  opened  the  door  noise- 
lessly, and  entered,  followed  by  the 
young  lady.  "  (leneral  Wallace,'"  said  he, 
"  here  is  a  young  lady  who  wishes  to  see 
you,  and  I  hay  e  granted  her  the  priyilege." 

The  general  Avas  looking  out  of  the 
window  toAyard  the  battle-field,  counting 
the  ambulances  as  they  came  loaded 
with  wounded,  and  he  said  to  himself,  as 
he  slowly  and  indilferently  turned  his 
head  on  the  pillow,  as  if  the  presence  of 
a  young  lady  at  that  time  was  of  no  con- 
sequence : 


WAR.  RELIGION  AXD  LOVE.  249 

"  That  is  seventy- five  since  I  began  to 
count."  But  when  he  saw  her  a  tremor 
came  over  him  ;  he  closed  his  eyes  for  a 
minute,  and  when  he  opened  them  again, 
and  she  Avas  still  standing  by  his  side, 
he  exclaimed  : 

''  Oh,  Agnes !  Agnes !  I  knew  you 
would  be  the  first  to  meet  me  in  heaven  ; 
death  had  no  terrors  for  me.  When  did 
I  die?'' 

She  gave  him  her  hand  and  knelt  be- 
side the  bed,  looked  calmly  into  his  face 
and  said  tenderly,  "Donald,  you  are  not 
dead." 

""  IS^ot  dead,"  said  he,  ''  why  you  are 
Agnes?  " 

"A^es." 

"And  you  have  been  in  heaven  four 
years.  Agnes  was  drowned  at  sea  in  a 
storm.  Here  is  a  locket  with  her  pic- 
ture in  it.  She  sent  it  to  me  by  Dick 
Dale,  and  I  have  worn  it  near  my  heart 
every  minute  since.  O,  Agnes  is  dead, 
and  we  are  in  heaven.'- 

17 


2:^0  ST.yS  AUSOLVKD. 

'' Xo,  Donald."*  said  she,  "  putting  her 
hand  on  Ins  head  :  •'  Agnes  is  not  dead. 
You  are  in  the  liospital  :  you  were  badl}^ 
wounded  an  liour  ago.  Look  at  this 
room  ((!/(/  (if  tli(^  ^nr(i('on.  Th'i-^  is  not 
hen  veil. ^^ 

"Am  I  delirious,  or  is  this  only  a 
hallowed  dream?  " 

"You  are  not  delirious,"  said  she.  the 
tears  eoming  into  her  eves,  "nor  is  it  a 
hallowed  dream,  but  it  />•  a  hallowed  re- 
ality. I>oiiahL  T  dill  i/oiii' Af/iK'S.  lam 
here  with  you  in  this  hospital.  Look  at 
this  dress,  this  tie  on  my  neck,  this  hat 
and  these  rings.  Did  vou  eyer  see  them 
before?  '' 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "'  they  are  what  Agnes 
wore  when  I  stood  with  her  at  the  gate 
the  night  before  I  enlisted." 

"A^es,  Donald,  you  are  not  mistaken. 
It  is  the  dress  she  wore  and  is  wearing 
now.  I  haye  cared  more  for  it  than  I 
did  for  my  life,  to  see  if  you  had  for- 
gotten when  you  last  saw  it." 


TT-.IR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  25  I 

He  looked  her  calmly  in  the  face  for 
several  minutes,  as  if  beAvildered,  a  smile 
came  over  his  face,  and  he  said  :  ''  O  I 
see  it  all ;  Ag-nes  Murray  was  not  drowned 
at  sea? "' 

"  1^0, "  she  replied. 

"And  Dick  Dale  was  Agnes  Murray? '' 

"Yes.'- 

"And  you  have  lived  through  this  four 
years  of  bloody  war,  because  you  loved 
me,  and  wanted  to  be  near  me?" 

"  Yes,  Donald." 

"  Oh,  such  devotion,  such  devotion !  " 
He  put  his  right  arm  around  her  neck 
and  tenderly  drew  her  face  near  his  own  ; 
he  gazed  into  her  tear  bedimmed  eyes 
long  and  lovingly,  and  then  said,  as  if  in 
prayer,  unconscious  of  the  presence  of 
any  one  :  "I  thank  God  for  His  mercy 
and  goodness  to  me.'' 

The  surgeon  beckoned  the  nurse  and 
they  left  the  room  in  silence.  He  said, 
as  he  closed  the  door,  and  wiped  his 
eyes,  "  That's  no  place  for  me.     I  am  at 


252  •'^/^■VN  ABSOLVED. 

home  around  the  aminitating  table  after 
a  battle  or  in  a  liospital.  but  where  soul 
touches  soul,  as  is  being  done  in  that 
room,  the  scene  is  too  holy  to  be  wit- 
nessed, exce})t  by  angels/' 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A    HALLOWED    REALITY. 

The  facts  in  the  case  had  somehow 
leaked  out.  When  the  surgeon  entered 
the  ward  from  the  general's  private 
room,  he  was  met  at  the  door  by  a  score 
or  more,  all  anxious  to  know  if  General 
Dale  was  really  a  girl.  Several  from  his 
own  brigade,  who  were  surprised  at  his 
unceremonious  departure  from  the  bat- 
tle-field, thought  it  possible  he  might 
have  been  wounded. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  surgeon,  "  strange  as 
it  may  appear,  there  is  no  doubt  what- 
ever that  General  Dale  was  a  girl.  She 
looks  to  me  now  as  if  a  mouse  Avould 
frighten  her,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  she  has  fought  on  many  a  bloody 
field,  and  especially  to-day,  with  the 
reckless  desperation  of  a  demon." 
253 


254  .'^^/-TS  AnSOLVKD. 

''Yes,"  said  a  captain,  just  back  from 
the  battle-field,  who  was  shot  throufrh 
the  arm.  and  had  not  yet  had  his  wound 
dressed,  "  I  was  in  that  charge  myself, 
and  was  neai-  (reneral  Dale  when  the 
word  came  that  General  Wallace  was 
killed.  He  at  once  took  command  of 
Wallace's  oUl  brigade,  and  while  I  have 
been  in  a  good  many  l)loody  battles,  I 
never  saw  anything  like  it  before.  It 
appeared  to  me  he  })ur})osely  and  need- 
lessly rode  just  where  the  grape  and 
canister  were  thickest,  and  that  sentence, 
'Avenge  the  death  of  Wallace!'  Why 
I  hear  it  yet ;  it  appeared  to  me  to  rise 
above  the  roar  of  the  battle,  and  -we  did 
if.  We  all  loved  General  AYallace.  He 
would  divide  whatever  he  had  to  eat 
with  any  soldier.  I  have  seen  him  a 
hundred  times  walk  through  the  mud 
half  knee  deep  and  let  a  private  soldier 
ride  his  horse.  At  the  time  of  the  first 
volley  from  the  infantry,  and  of  grape 
and  canister  from  their  batteries,  wlien 


n'.lZV,  BKLIGloX  AXn  LOVE.  255 

General  Dale's  horse  was  torn  to  pieces, 
it  seemed  to  me  nothing  could  live  in 
front  of  their  line.  I  expected  to  see 
him  fall  pierced  with  a  hundred  bullets, 
and  I  do  not  believe  he  was  a  girl." 

•'Well,  Captain,"  said  the  surgeon, 
"it  does  appear  like  fiction,  but  facts 
are  sometimes  stranger  than  taction,  and 
this  is  one  of  those  facts.  It  is  abso- 
lutely true  that  there  has  never  been  the 
slightest  suspicion  during  his  entire  army 
life  that  he  was  a  girl ;  neither  as  or- 
derly, major,  colonel  nor  general.  He 
was  not  a  day  sick  ;  he  had  received  no 
w^ound,  and  he  had  not  been  even  social 
with  any  one  except  General  Wallace, 
on  whose  staff  he  had  been  for  more  than 
two  years." 

A  soldier  from  an  Iowa  regiment,  wdio 
has  since  filled  places  of  honor  and  trust 
in  the  state,  said  :  "I  always  suspected 
he  was  a  girl,  his  hand  was  so  little  and 
plump,  and  he  never  did  get  a  pair  of 
shoes   small   enough   for  him,  and   that 


256  N/-VN  ABSOLVHD. 

funny  smile  of  his,  always  the  most  smil- 
ing in  the  greatest  danger,  was  awfully 
girlish,  and  don't  you  foi-get  it." 

Another  said:  "I  savr  him  at  Stone 
Kiver  just  after  his  horse  was  shot  from 
under  him.  and  I  am  dead  sure  his  mous- 
tache was  gone,  and  l^ill  Levelhead  told 
me  not  tAventy  minutes  ago  that  he  saw 
him  just  after  one  of  the  desperate 
charges  at  Chickamaui>"a.  and  that  he  had 
no  moustache." 

Another  remembered  that  when  Dick 
Dale  first  came  to  the  regiment  he  did 
not  associate  with  the  other  soldiers  in 
any  way  ;  tliat  he  slept  on  his  blanket 
in  the  corner  of  Major  Wallace's  tent 
if  it  rained,  and  alone  on  the  outside  if 
it  did  not  rain. 

A  sergeant  pushed  his  way  along  the 
aisle,  and  with  enthusiasm  said :  *•'  I 
was  standing  not  ten  feet  from  General 
Wallace  just  before  the  last  charge  that 
was  made  at  Resaca.  I  saw  Major  Dale 
ride  up  to  him  and  say,   'A  Confederate 


WAR.  RELIGKJN  AND  LOVE.  257 

battery  has  just  been  hurried  into  that 
timber  to  our  left,  and  when  it  opens  it 
will  enfilade  our  line.'  I  heard  General 
Wallace  say,  '  Take  my  old  regiment  out 
of  the  line  and  capture  it.'  I  saw  Major 
Dale  dash  down  the  line,  and  I  saw  the 
charge.  Oh,  it  was  grand.  The  battery 
fired  but  one  volley  before  Major  Dale 
and  the  regiment  were  upon  it,  and 
when  he  rode  up  to  Wallace  he  had  a 
nice,  black  mustauche  on,  and  I  also 
know  when  he  rode  back,  saluted  the 
general,  and  said,  '  We  got  them,'  he  had 
no  moustache.'' 

At  this  time  General  Thomas  entered 
the  hospital  and  asked  the  surgeon  if  it 
was  proper  for  him  to  see  General  Wal- 
lace. 

"Certainly,"  said  the  surgeon,  "come 
this  way.  General." 

"Is  he  mortally  wounded?  "  . 

"  JS'ot  necessarily  so.  General.  His 
wound  is  a  dangerous  one,  but  in  view 
of  his  good  constitution  and  his  nerve. 


25S  >''-V>'  AUSdLVh:!'. 

I  have  hope  of  his  recovery.  His  wound 
is  not  so  serious  as  was  at  first  tliouglit. 
Tlie  l)nllet  must  liave  grazed  tlie  apex 
of  the  right  lung,  l)ut  upon  a  inoi'e 
careful  examination,  I  do  not  believe 
the  lung  was  injured.  There  has  not 
been  up  to  this  time  any  expectoration  of 
blood.'' 

(reneral  Thomas  grasped  Wallace's 
hand  affectionately,  and  said  :  '•  It  gives 
me  more  pleasui'e  than  I  can  express  in 
words  to  be  able  to  take  your  hand,  and 
I  have  learned  from  the  surgeon  that, 
though  your  wound  is  a  serious  one,  it 
is  not  likely  to  prove  fatal.  Of  course 
you  have  had  the  news  of  the  battle." 

"  Only  of  the  victory.  I  have  heard 
none  of  the  details." 

'"  Some  other  time.  General,  when  you 
are  stronger,  we  will  talk  of  the  move- 
ments. The  victory  was  a  great  one, 
and  means  much  for  our  cause,  but  it 
was  at  fearful  cost.  We  lost  heavy  in 
officers  and  men.     The  last  charge  was 


^rAE.  RELIGION  ASD  LOVE.  259 

as  mag-nificent  as  I  have  ever  witnessed 
on  a  battle-field.'" 

The  tears  rnshed  into  the  eyes  of 
General  Wallace,  and  making  a  heroic 
effort  to  conceal  the  tnmult  of  his  feel- 
ings, he  said :  ''  And  I  was  not  there  at 
my  post  of  duty."' 

General  Thomas  placed  his  hand  ten- 
derly on  his  head,  and  said  :  "  'No  re- 
grets, my  dear  boy.  While  you  could 
not  remain  to  see  it  finished,  history 
will  give  you  an  important  position  in 
originating  it.  We  are  thankful  to  God 
that  you  are  not  among  the  pale  faces 
now  lying  on  the  battle-field.  General 
Wallace  can  j^ou  give  me  any  informa- 
tion as  to  the  whereabouts  of  General 
Dale?'"  said  the  general,  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye.  "  He  left  the  battle-field  un- 
ceremoniously, and  lolthout  orders.  I 
IV ant  to  see  him. 

"  General  Thomas,  let  me  introduce  to 
you  Miss  Agnes  Murray.  I  think  she 
can  give   you  the  desired  information." 


26o  Siy^  JBSdLVKD. 

The  general  offered  his  hand,  which 
she  acce])ted  with  the  same  smile  he  had 
seen  before,  and  said  :  "  Miss  Murray.  I 
believe  I  have  not  had  the  reputation  of 
possessing  much  emotion,  but  taking 
your  hand  gives  me  a  pleasure  rarely 
ever  enjoyed  l)y  a  general  commanding 
an  army,  and  a  joy  I  shall  never  forget. 
I  Avas  myself  giving  special  attention  to 
the  part  of  the  line  you  commanded  after 
the  sup|)osed  death  of  Wallace.  It  was 
apparent  the  Confederate  generals  were 
massing  their  forces  in  the  hope  of  break- 
ing our  center.  I  Avas  among  the  first 
to  learn  that  Wallace  had  been  shot 
from  his  horse,  and  not  knowing  what 
the  effect  would  be  on  his  command, 
whether  a  panic  or  an  increased  despera- 
tion to  avenge  his  death.  I  rode  near 
that  part  of  the  line,  and  I  saw  your 
every  action.  I  saw  the  danger  to  whicb 
you  exposed  yourself :  it  appeared  to 
me  that  every  shot  from  both  batteries 
in  your  front  was  directed  at  fjou.  I  saw" 


n\lR.  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  26 1 

no  hope  of  your  escape,  and  it  is  a  miracle 
that  you  are  living.  I  said  to  myself: 
'  Such  unparalleled  rashness  and  despe- 
ration is  not  wholly  due  to  patriotism 
and  love  of  victory ;  it  must  have  a 
deeper  meaning.'  But,"  continued  the 
general,  "  as  General  Dale  has  ceased  to 
exist  as  an  entity,  and  as  I  have  no  au- 
thority over  Miss  Murray,  I  find  noplace 
for  a  reprimand,  and  I  suppose  Miss 
Agnes  Murray  will  soon  be  transformed 
into  Mrs.  Wallace." 

"Yes,  General,"  said  Wallace,  "just 
as  soon  as  a  chaplain  comes.  I  see  a 
court-house  across  the  way  —  will  some- 
body be  kind  enough  to  attend  to  the 
preliminaries?  " 

"I  will  do  that  with  pleasure,"  said 
the  surgeon.  "  While  ray  consent  should 
have  been  asked,  for  the  general  is  now 
under  my  care,  I  will  show  my  approba- 
tion in  that  way." 

"  Well,  Miss  Murray,  have  you  ac- 
quiesced?" 


262  s:,\.s'  AISSOLVKD 

Yes,  CTeneral  Thomas,  T  have  obeyed 
the  oi'ders  of  (leneral  AVallace  implicitly 
for  four  years,  and  I  think  it  Avoidd  be 
unsoldierly  to  disobey  him  now/' 

''I  can't  wait  for  the  cliaplain,"  said 
General  Thomas.  ''  I  will  give  you  my 
congratulations  and  blessing  now,"  and 
taking  Agnes'  hand  in  his  right,  and 
Wallace's  in  his  left,  he  gentl}^  pressed 
them  together,  and  said  earnestly  and 
reverently,  ''General  Wallace,  one  of 
your  favorite  passages  in  the  Bible  comes 
to  my  mind  :  '  Be  not  deceived  ;  God 
is  not  mocked  :  Whatsoever  a  man  sow- 
eth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.'  As  sure  as 
God's  promises  will  be  fulfilled  we  know 
what  the  harvest  will  be." 

"Pleaven's  richest  blessings  await 
you,''  Wallace  replied,  with  apparent 
emotion.  ''  Such  a  compliment.  General, 
from  such  a  source  is  our  first  bene- 
diction.'' 


CHAPTEK  XI Y. 

THE    FACTS    IX    THE    CASE. 

"  It  all  appears  like  a  dream  to  me 
yet,"  said  Wallace,  on  waking-  the  next 
morning",  "  hnt  if  /s  reality.  Isn't  it, 
Agnes?" 

"Yes,  Donald,"  she  said,  "the  past 
fonr  years  has  been  to  me  an  awful 
reality.  I  have,  during  that  whole  time 
lived  a  life  of  questionable  honor.  It 
has  been  a  false  life.  I  have  cried  over 
it,  and  prayed  every  night  to  be  forgiven. 
I  ought  to  have  told  you  everything  be- 
fore we  were  married." 

"  While  I  have  known,''  said  Donald, 
with  a  smile,  "quite  a  good  deal  of  your 
life  in  the  past  four  years,  it  is  not  too 
late  to  make  a  confession  if  you  will 
feel  better  after  having  done  so." 

"  Yes,  if  it  is  not  too  late,  I  want  to  tell 
you  all,  and  then  ask  you  to  forgive  me." 
267, 


264  N/XS'  AliSDlAKD. 

"I'ntil  vou  left  me  at  midnio-ht,  the 
night  before  you  made  that  speech  at 
the  court-house  and  enlisted.  1  had  never 
thonght  of  being  separated  from  you.  I 
spent  the  renuiinder  of  the  night  think- 
ing whether  I  could  live  on  at  home  and 
you  in  the  army.  I  determined  before 
morning  to  visit  my  relations  in  Scot- 
land, and  to  confide  in  my  cousin,  Min- 
nie, all  my  plans.  I  bought  in  ]!^ew 
York  the  suit  of  clothes  I  had  on  when  I 
came  to  your  regiment.  I  had  a  trunk 
made  with  a  concealed  apartment  in  the 
bottom,  large  enough  to  hold  all  the 
clothing  I  wore.  I  bought  six  mus- 
taches. I  had  my  hair  cut,  leaving  it 
quite  long  for  a  boy,  and  as  you  know 
my  hair  naturally  parted  on  the  side,  so 
that  I  appeared  quite  boyish,  even  with- 
out the  mustache.  I  bought  a  ticket  for 
London  on  the  Leota,  intending  to  re- 
turn to  the  United  States  as  soon  as 
possible  as  a  hoy,  and  join  your  regi- 
ment.     M}"    stateroom    was    next    to    a 


WAR,  RELIGION  AXD  LOVE.  265 

young  lady  from  ^ew  York,  on  her 
way  to  London,  whose  acquaintance  I 
made  before  we  left  the  city.  She  was 
of  Scottish  ancestry  and  was  my  own 
age  to  a  day.  I  believe  she  was  the 
happiest  person  I  ever  saw.  She  was 
engaged  to  a  young  man  in  London, 
doing  business  for  a  rich  firm  in  the 
United  States,  of  which  his  father  was 
a  partner,  and  they  were  to  be  married 
on  her  arrival.  We  made  confidants  of 
each  other.  She  told  me  of  their  in- 
tended travels.  'We  are,'  said  she, 
'going  to  spend  a  few  months  in  Paris, 
and  about  six  months  in  Italy.  O,  I  am 
so  impatient  to  get  to  Rome.  I  think 
I  shall  buy  that  "  classic  Tiber  "  I  hear 
so  much  about,  and  bring  it  home  with 
me.'  Her  merry  ringing  laugh  almost 
made  me  forget  myself,  and  then  she 
continued,  '  We  are  going  to  Alexandria 
and  up  the  ]!S^ile,  and  we  are  going  to 
climb  to  the  top  of  the  pyramids.^  She 
put  her  arms  round  my  neck  and  kissed 

18 


266  N/:\'.S  ABSnLVKD. 

me,  and  in  a  playful  manner  said : 
'  Ag-gie,  when  we  are  in  Alexandria,  I 
am  going  to  hant  foi'  the  remains  of  the 
librar}^  that  was  destroyed  by  that  gi-eat 
naughty  Cjesar,  and  if  I  find  it  I  will 
bring  you  a  book  to  remember  me  by. 
We  are  going  to  Jerusalem  by  the  w^ay 
of  the  Suez  Canal.  We  expect  to  spend 
six  months  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  then 
we  go  to  the  City  of  Babylon.  I  under- 
stand the  city  dads  in  Babylon  have 
preserved  a  few  hundred  bottles  of  the 
wine  left  after  Alexander  the  Great's 
fatal  debauch,  and  if  I  find  one  with  the 
labels  still  on  I  will  bring  it  home.  We 
wont  hang  our  liarps  on  the  willow  trees, 
but  we  will  make  them  wake  up  and 
take  their  medicine.  Whether  we  will 
visit  the  land  of  the  droop-eyed,  lop- 
eared  celestials  we  have  not  determined, 
but  we  are  coming  home  past  the  island 
of  Ceylon,  and  I'll  stop  otf  long  enough 
to  catch  a  full-grown  gorilla, —  a  six- 
footer, —  for  you.     They  make  the  nicest 


WAR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  267 

pets  in  the  world,  but  you  have  to  keep 
them  chained,  or  stand  over  them  with  a 
club.  Oh,  Agnes,'  she  said  very  ten- 
derly, and  taking  me  by  the  hands,  '  I  do 
wish  you.  could  be  as  happy  as  I  am.' 

''  I  kept  no  secret  from  her,  and  when 
I  told  her  how  I  loved  you,  aud  who  you 
were,  and  that  I  believed  you  loved  me, 
but  you  had  never  said  so,  she  put  her 
arms  around  me  and  sobbed  as  if  her 
heart  would  br^ak,  and  said,  '  Oh  yes, 
he  loves  you,  and  you  will  yet  be  happy 
with  him.  The  war  will  soon  be  over, 
you  and  Wallace  will  marry,  and  then 
Charley  and  I  will  come  and  see  you.' 
I  took  her  into  my  state-room  and  put 
on  my  boy's  suit  to  have  her  opinion  on 
the  disguise.  She  said,  '  That  mustache 
is  a  stunner.  Nobody  would  think  of 
you  being  a  girl.  You  look  like  my 
brother  Dick,  and  he's  a  masher.'  On 
the  fourth  day  out  from  New  York, 
early  in  the  moruing,  the  Leota  was 
disabled  in  that  storm  and  sunk.     I  was 


268  >V.\S  AnSdLVHD. 

up  before  daylight,  and  walked  the  deck 
lonely  and  alone.  I  saw  the  first  indi- 
cations of  the  storm.  I  had  an  impi'es- 
sion,  and  I  couhl  not  I'id  myself  (jf  it, 
that  the  \essel  would  l)e  wrecked.  I 
Avent  to  my  state-room,  changed  my 
apparel,  and  ])nt  what  I  now  have  on 
into  the  concealed  apartment  in  my 
trunk.  I  had.  while  in  New  York,  put 
my  hair  that  had  been  cut  otf  carefully 
in  the  bottom.  I  remained  in  my  room 
until  the  wheels  were  disabled  and  the 
wildest  excitement  prevailed  among  the 
passengers.  I  then  went  on  deck  as 
Did'  Dale,  and  did  what  I  could  to 
calm  the  fears  of  the  passengers.  I 
only  heard  thi-ee  references  to  myself 
in  the  excitement  in  leaving  the  vessel 
in  the  lifeboats.  The  captain  said, 
'  Where  is  Miss  Murray, — I  have  not 
seen  her  ? "  Somebody  replied,  "  She 
left  ten  minutes  ago  with  eleven  others 
and  they  all  went  down  before  their 
boat   was    twenty   feet   away.'      An   el- 


WAR,  RKLTGKJN  AND  LOVE.  269 

derly  lady  said,  '  Where  is  that  young 
lady  who  sang  Home,  Sweet  Home  for 
us?'  Another  said,  'She  was  among 
the  first  to  leave  the  vessel  and  was 
lost.'  The  first  person  I  met  on  the 
deck  was  Miss  Marion  Summers ;  she 
was  wild  with  fear,  but  was  asking 
everyone  if  they  had  seen  Agnes  Mur- 
ray. I  stood  near  her  and  looked  in 
her  face  to  see  if  she  would  recognize 
me,  and  said,  '  Is  she  in  her  room  ? ' 
'•  Oh,  no,'  she  cried,  '  she  is  not  there.' 
She  hurried  into  a  lifeboat ;  it  was  in  a 
few  moments  capsized,  and  I  saw  her 
last  struggles.  The  captain,  the  mate 
and  I  were  the  last  to  leave  the  sinking 
vessel  in  the  least  seaworthy  of  all  the 
lifeboats.  In  six  hours  we  were  picked 
up  by  a  steamer  bound  for  IS'ew  York. 
I  took  the  train  at  once  for  your  regi- 
ment. My  sex  was  not  discovered  for 
several  reasons.  I  was  not  a  day  sick 
while  I  have  been  in  the  army.  Your 
uniform   kindness   to   me    obviated    the 


S/.YN  ABSOLVED. 


necessity  of  mv  associating'  with  the 
soldiers  ;  for  ivJn'cI/  I  can  never  love  you 
enovfjli.  On  the  first  morning-  after  I 
came  to  the  regiment  I  would  have  told 
yon  who  I  was,  for  I  had  concluded 
during  the  night  to  do  so,  but  you  said 
not  to  tell  the  secret  unless  you  were 
mortally  wounded.  My  indifference  to 
life,  and  my  recklessness  on  the  battle- 
field was  because  I  expected  you  to  be 
killed,  and  I  wanted  to  die  first.  I  kept 
a  letter  in  my  coat  pocket,  directed  to 
you,  giving  you  the  facts  and  who  I 
Avas.  with  the  request  that  my  bod}^  be 
taken  to  you  if  I  was  killed.  I  never 
purposely  exposed  myself  to  danger  in 
the  hope  of  being  killed  until  yesterday. 
"When  the  word  came  along  the  line, 
'  General  Wallace  is  killed,"  I  deter- 
mined to  die  in  the  last  charge.  I  lost, 
ill  action,  four  mustaches.  I  think  you 
never  saw  me  without  one  on.  I  have 
two  yet.  How  do  I  look  with  it  on 
now  ?  " 


WAR,  RELIGION  AND  LOVE.  27  I 

"  Well,  really  Agnes,  it  is  not  unbe- 
coming. You  are  Dick  Dale  without  a 
doubt,  but  I  wont  ask  you  to  wear  that 
name  except  on  special  occasions.  I  am 
partial  to  the  name.  Agues,  you  know.'' 

"I  thought  twice  you  suspected  who 
I  was,  and  I  would  not  have  hesitated 
to  tell  you,  if  you  had  asked  me.  I  was 
so  tired  of  battle.  Donald,  can  you  for- 
give me  ?  " 

"  Come  and  sit  on  the  bed  near  me,'' 
said  he,  ''  and  put  your  hand  in  mine. 
Why  it  is  as  soft  and  plump  as  a  girl's, 
isn't  it  ?  Agnes,  I  am  one  of  the  most 
forgiving  of  mortals,  and  I  solemnly 
pronounce  your  sins  absolved.  I  trust 
you  will  never  again  think  of  apologiz- 
ing for  any  act  of  a  life  so  near  divine 
as  yours  has  been." 

They  are  both  living  at  this  time.  May 
1,  1895.  They  have  passed  the  zenith 
of  life ;  they  are  looking  toward  the 
setting  sun  ;  it  is  probably  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  life  to  both  of  them.     They 


272  >'  /  -V^  - 1  />'  ^  "LI 't:  D . 

have  im})licit  confidence  that  the  inconi- 
preheiisil)le  aggregation  ot"  matter  and 
force  that  constitutes  tlie  "Ego"  will 
defy  the  hiws  of  matter  and  force  now 
recognized,  and  I'ide  the  wreck  of  worlds 
in  an  eternal  existence ;  that  the  sun 
will  rise  again  on  a  more  beautiful  shore, 
and  that  their  love  for  each  other  will 
endure  wlien  the  stars  melt.  Their  chil- 
dren are  men  and  w^omen  now.  and  they 
attest  the  inexorable  law  of  heredity, 
"A  pure  fountain  cannot  send  forth  im- 
pure waters." 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

Wilmer 
501 


